The Wizard of the Fae War
by virginiablack517
Summary: In the war between Light and Dark Fae, Lauren Lewis has faithfully served the Blood King for years, but when he goes too far to secure his dominion, Lauren turns to the one person who can help her stop him, even if it means treason. [Formerly The Black Maneuvers, Vol. 1. ](Standalone AU, OOC, Doccubus.)
1. Chapter 1

_[_ _ **Author's Note**_ _: **UPDATED**. What started as a mere writing exercise has taken on a life of its own. This first chapter is the same as the original "Black Maneuver" exercise with only mild corrections and additions. The story premise remains: what if Bo were the Dark Queen when she met Lauren? _

_Comments and reviews strongly encouraged! It's the only way I'll know what to write next. ~VirginiaBlack517]_

 **CHAPTER ONE**

 _This had better work, or I am screwed._

Lauren Lewis tried not to swallow against her dry throat as she walked down a dimly lit stone corridor surrounded by four ogres. The ogres kept pace with each other, and she tried to keep pace with _them_ without actually running. Whenever she slowed down, one would prompt her to keep moving by prodding her none too gently in the small of her back.

After abandoning her post in the Light Fae compound where she served the Ash – better known as the Blood King – she had come here, to the stronghold of the Dark and immediately turned herself in. Lauren had been thrown around and backhanded once when she wouldn't reveal her intentions, but she'd only told them that she had a message for the Dark Queen.

The ogres had bickered among themselves before one of them had made a phone call. She hadn't heard a word of it, but once it was done, they'd grabbed her by the elbows and led her deeper into the building.

She distracted herself from her fear of their likely destination by observing the two ogres she could see without craning her neck. They were twins – both bald, with large heads and blank faces. One wore a dark suit, with jeweled links at the cuffs of his dress shirt. The other wore a sleeveless mesh shirt that revealed his defined triceps and deltoids and many tattoos.

Each of the ogres could kill her barehanded in seconds.

Lauren decided that she now needed to also distract herself from her imminent death before she vomited.

 _Remember why you're here._

Remember what the Blood King had done to drive her here.

She had left behind her whole world with no chance of ever returning since she was now a traitor. She also had no idea where they were going, though she was sure that the ogres were taking her to see the Dark Queen.

Lauren had never met the Dark Queen, but had heard stories for years. How the queen had deposed the Morrigan a few years before and now ruled the Dark with a firm and absolute hand. That the queen was a succubus with legendary appetites and power.

How much of that was true and how much was plain bullshit was anyone's guess, but Lauren was about to find out. She also figured that she was dead no matter what happened now, but even if the Dark Queen killed her, if she at least heard Lauren's message first, then Lauren had done what she could.

Minutes later, they'd reached the end of the long hall, and one of the massive ogres opened a wide, oak door. Another shove from behind pushed Lauren forward, and she found herself staring into the face of the only occupant in the room that mattered.

Lauren supposed she should look at some of the others – she noticed in her peripheral vision that there were at least three or four other people in the room, and one of them would most likely be the one to execute her – or perhaps at the room itself, but she couldn't pull her eyes away.

So. This was the Dark Queen.

The queen sat on a large, iron monstrosity of a throne, but it couldn't overshadow the woman. The queen herself was fair-skinned, with long, dark hair without ornament that spilled across her shoulders and down her back. From what Lauren could see, she wore dark pants of some kind tucked into knee-high laced black leather boots, and a black leather jacket that managed to cover everything from shoulder to wrist and fell to mid-thigh, but revealed breasts so full, Lauren might raise an eyebrow in praise if she weren't so scared.

The whole presentation was intimidating as hell. Lauren wondered how she was going to sway this woman to listen to her.

"Why on earth should I believe a single thing you have to say?" The Dark Queen's double octave voice pinned Lauren in place.

Lauren wondered if the Queen could read her mind. Not that it changed anything – she hadn't planned any subterfuge. Still, she thought the queen would have led with asking why Lauren was here.

 _Guess we're not going to start with the preliminaries. The truth, then._

Lauren took a deep breath.

"Because we both know that you can get the truth with one touch, or have these ogres beat the truth out of me if you don't want to do it yourself." She shrugged and hoped her trembling wasn't visible across the room. "I'm only a human."

Laughter from the ogres filled the room before a sharp gesture from the Dark Queen stopped it abruptly.

As the queen stared at Lauren without speaking, the only sound in the room was the echo after each staccato tap of her index nail on one arm of her throne.

"So, what is so important that you would desert your owner, betray the Light and come to the one place you're likely to be killed on sight?"

Lauren's knees were knocking and she willed her heart to stop pounding. That odd voice was terrifying – and exciting.

"I know how to stop the war," Lauren said.

XX – XX – XX – XX – XX

Bo Dennis leaned back in surprise, and then in irritation that she'd given that much away. _Never show what you're thinking or how you feel, Isabeau._

Her mother had drilled that into her head so many times, her mother's voice echoed in Bo's head.

This had to be a trap. What Bo wouldn't give to stop the war – a war that had killed so many innocents and not-so-innocents on both sides. A war based on the archaic belief that Fae must choose a side, and once chosen, they were stuck with it forever.

For centuries, Light and Dark Fae had lived under an uneasy truce, neither gaining more ground or power than the other for very long, until one man had upset the power balance so strongly in the Dark's favor that the Light had hunted him down and executed him. It had set off a war that had now lasted decades.

Bo knew the Blood King was up to something – something big – but none of her sources had been able to catch even a scent of what was really going on. Now, his most dedicated and capable servant had walked right into her territory and given herself up. It had to be a ruse.

 _But what if it's not a trap? Bo thought quickly. How can I find out if it's true?_

The silence in the room grew uncomfortable while the Dark Queen stared at this new puzzle.

"Everyone out." Bo said, in the split-octave voice of her full self.

A few token protests reached her ears – though the one from Vex was probably sincere – but she couldn't give any ground with this group. Not ever.

One of the ogres – she thought it might be Bruce – went to take the human by the arm, but Bo didn't want that.

"Leave the human."

Vex looked up at her in surprise, but then joined the exodus. In less than a minute, the room was empty, leaving Bo and the Blood King's human alone.

They stared at each other. Bo could smell the human's fear, but not once did the woman look away from Bo's gaze.

 _Impressive, but then again, that's what my little bird tells me._

Bo had a friend in the Blood King's camp who had told her all about Dr. Lauren Lewis. That she was brilliant and knew more about the Fae than anyone alive. That she had used that knowledge to save countless Fae. That she had faithfully served the Blood King for nearly a decade. That she was resourceful, cool, pragmatic and disciplined.

Hale hadn't told Bo that the Blood King's pet doctor was beautiful.

Dr. Lewis – _Lauren,_ Bo corrected in her head - looked petrified and like she hadn't slept or eaten enough recently. There were dark circles under her warm brown eyes, and her fine blond hair fell to her shoulders lifelessly. Yet there was strength to her shoulders and long limbs that Bo found admirable, and though she was clearly afraid, she was also intent on her goal of speaking to the queen.

Bo wondered what her chi – the life essence on which a succubus fed - tasted like.

 _Snap out of it, Dennis._

The longer Bo stared at her, the more perspiration beaded on the doctor's forehead. Time to turn the tables on her.

Abruptly, Bo stood from her throne and walked down the short dais to the room's floor.

"Come with me," she said in her normal voice. She noted the surprise on Lauren's features, and was glad to see it. She wanted to keep this woman on unsettled footing until she learned all she needed to know.

On one wall of the room was a simple, undecorated door, and it led to Bo's study. Only a few people ever set foot in here – though Lauren wouldn't know that. Bo opened the door, and turned to make sure Lauren was following her.

Once inside, Lauren stood to one side, awkward in her movements, eyes wide as she looked at the room.

 _Probably thought I was dragging her to the dungeon,_ Bo thought. She rolled her eyes knowing Lauren couldn't see her face. The time when she'd thought torture would get her anywhere was long past. She got better results by being two steps ahead of her opponent.

The best way to keep a step ahead of someone as smart as Lauren Lewis was rumored to be was to do the unexpected.

Bo unzipped her leather jacket, peeled it from her body and tossed it on the back of a nearby sofa. "Thirsty?" She turned to catch Lauren's eye. "I'm going to have a beer. Interested?"

Lauren looked stunned.

 _Gotcha,_ Bo thought.

Lauren rallied quickly. "Yes," she croaked, then cleared her throat. "Yes, please. Thank you."

 _Well-mannered. Noted._

The room was actually a small apartment and Bo spent quite a bit of time here. The Morrigan had made it something of a receiving room, and the previous opulence of the place had been meant to make any visitors feel small.

Bo had practically bleached the place before redecorating. Now it featured a rustic sitting area with an ultra-modern large screen television, and butcher-block table for meals or late nights reviewing who-knew-what that Vex had brought up from the archives.

Bo walked over to a small kitchenette and opened a refrigerator to fetch two cool bottles of beer. After unscrewing the tops and tossing them in a nearby bin, she walked one bottle over to Lauren as she took a deep swig from the other.

"Here," she said, and handed Lauren a bottle. Lauren stared at it as if it were some tool she wasn't sure how to use. Bo gestured to the sofa and a pair of matching wingbacks. "Take a load off."

Lauren walked over to one of the chairs and sat down, back straight as newly formed rebar. She took a polite sip of the beer, and looked at Bo warily.

Bo stared back. Lauren was even more beautiful up close. She didn't look like most of the humans Bo had seen in the ranks – beaten or conniving, eager to please face-to-face but crafty behind her back.

Lauren's clothes were well-made but hung loosely on her, as if she'd lost weight recently. Yet there was softness to her features – even as she took a casual but deep drink from the beer bottle in her hand - that made Bo want to reach out and touch her, even as the woman sat with an almost regal pose. Lauren was – in a word – stunning.

 _Enough. Stick to business._

"How, exactly, does a human think she can end a Fae war that's lasted nearly half a century?"

XX – XX – XX – XX - XX

Lauren swallowed and thought quickly.

This could go very badly for her, but she'd known that coming in. Stopping Trick was now the most important thing in the world, and she'd given up her entire life to do it. She could never go back. By now, Trick and his lieutenant, Dyson, would have discovered that she was gone and it was only a matter of time before they figured out where she'd run.

On the other hand, she'd come to the one place where her experience and expertise meant absolutely nothing.

 _How can I convince her that I'm speaking the truth?_

The answer was so simple she almost laughed.

She set the bottle down on a nearby table and stood up. The Dark Queen stood up with her, just as quickly, perhaps sensing an immediate threat. Lauren realized her mistake, and pushed her palms out to show she meant no harm, then removed her own jacket and dropped it in the chair behind her.

"Use your touch on me."

The queen raised an eyebrow.

"How do I know that you haven't somehow poisoned yourself in a way to get to me? And that using my touch won't backfire?" The queen tilted her head down in a way that might have been menacing, but Lauren didn't think it was.

 _Honesty. It's the only way through this._

"You don't, but I give you my word, I'm not here to poison you or threaten you in any way. It'll save time if you know everything I tell you is true, and your touch will ensure that."

The queen didn't look convinced.

"I've heard you're rather gifted, Lauren. You could have found a way to poison me."

Lauren was shocked to hear her name on the Dark Queen's lips.

The queen continued. "And what's the word of a traitorous human worth?"

Her mild start at the queen's mention of her name aside, Lauren had no more cards to play.

"Please." She said simply, and awaited judgment. Lauren had to trust the possibility that a queen who could throw aside all posturing and pretense – and offer her a casual beer, no less – to turn the tables on her, might be the person to stop all of this madness.

They stared at each other for what seemed like a long time, and then the queen reached over and took one of Lauren's hands gently in her own.

Her touch was soft, and gentle, and warm. Lauren looked down at her hand and saw a red iridescence wash over the back of her hand, and instantly, felt arousal surging through her.

Logically, she knew what was happening. She had studied everything she could find about the succubus species of the Fae genus, but nothing had prepared her for the overwhelming sensation of peak arousal. It felt like she was on the brink of a powerful orgasm, but without any foreplay. Zero to 100 in mere seconds. Lauren's clitoris throbbed in time with her pulse and suddenly she was so aroused she couldn't get enough air in her lungs. Her nipples painfully pushed against the fabric confining them as she swayed, overcome.

She tightly squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to push the feeling away. Lauren didn't even wait for a question before she started talking – the words rushing out almost without thought.

"Trick's gone too far this time. His lieutenants have captured a band of unaligned Fae that fled here from another colony. Half of them are deathly ill and have nowhere else to go. He insisted they choose a side, but they don't want to. They – " she moaned, but then kept speaking, words falling out even faster than before. "They're a peaceful group of mostly harmless Fae – nearly three dozen men, women and children – but if they don't choose by the new moon, the Blood King will execute each and every one of them."

Lauren opened her eyes to look into the deep chocolate of the Dark Queen's eyes. She blinked away tears that had nothing to do with her words and everything to do with how she was feeling.

"His power is in his blood. I've figured out a way to neutralize that power."

Lauren fought the urge she felt to throw herself at this woman she'd met mere moments ago. She knew it was the touch of a succubus that was making her feel that way, but she also knew that this woman was more than the ruthless Dark Queen she'd heard about before coming here. Her eyes said so. There was something about her – Lauren was supposed to be scared to death of her, but she wasn't anymore.

She stared at the queen's full, red lips as she spoke in a hushed whisper.

"If Trick is out of commission, the power vacuum will upset the colony. His lieutenants will need to be dealt with, but the heir to Clan Zamora could take his place and would be much more willing to talk truce." She swallowed, too aroused to be embarrassed at how audible it was. "No one else needs to die."

And in a move that Lauren was certain surprised them both, she took a step closer to the Dark Queen and clasped her hand back.

Before she could stop herself, the emotions and desire she felt took over and she reached out to place her free hand on the Dark Queen's waist. With a groan, she kissed the queen with an urgency she couldn't contain, and deepened the kiss before she could be pushed away.

Instead, the Dark Queen's arms wrapped around her, and her tongue touched Lauren's in a way that showed Lauren that the queen knew _exactly_ how to please a woman. Shamelessly, Lauren kissed her back, until what had started as a crazed, passionate attack slowed down to a low, wicked roar.

The succubus glow faded. Lauren slowly came to her senses and stepped away. She looked around the room with confusion, not sure what to do with herself – and the Dark Queen was staring at her with a small smile on her lips.

Lauren recovered enough reason to realize that she had told the Dark Queen everything she'd come to say. If she believed Lauren, then Lauren would live and could figure out what to do next.

If the Dark Queen didn't believe her, now would be the time for this beautiful woman before her to judge her and have her executed – if she didn't kill Lauren herself.

Lauren looked longingly at the door, then back to the queen in defeat.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," the queen laughed, and her voice changed again to that eerie double-octave tone. "You belong to me now."

Lauren supposed that should scare her, but was surprised to discover that it didn't.


	2. Chapter 2

_[_ _ **Author's Note:**_ _Thanks to all of you who voted for this story, and waited patiently while I built this new world. Be sure to let me now what you think - comments and reviews are strongly encouraged! ~VirginiaBlack517]_

 **CHAPTER TWO**

The lights were low, and a small fire had burned down to embers in the large fireplace, but there was enough light for Bo to see Lauren's beautiful face.

Lauren was out cold, curled up in a fetal position on the couch. The kiss and whatever she'd endured before she'd arrived at the compound had taken their toll. She'd practically passed out less than ten minutes after that heart-stopping kiss.

 _And gods, what a kiss,_ Bo thought to herself.

An old patchwork quilt that Bo kept as a reminder of her humbler beginnings covered Lauren's thin frame. Lauren had shivered once in her sleep despite the warmth of the fire, and Bo had gently draped the blanket across her body and shoulders as she slept. Bo wasn't sure why it was that Lauren's comfort mattered to her, but it did. She decided not to think about it just yet.

Lauren hadn't stirred once for the last hour, and Bo had been sitting nearby, nursing a healthy dose of scotch, trying to figure out what she was going to do with this latest development when she wasn't idly replaying the sweetness of Lauren's kiss in her mind's eye.

 _Delicious._ Bo's eyes traced Lauren's lips, slightly pursed even in sleep, before she pondered the woman in front of her.

What little stock Bo still had in the Blood King's reputation crashed. Lauren was underweight, and so exhausted she was sleeping in the lion's den, though it was clear to Bo that she'd been terrified.

Fatigue evidently trumped fear.

Not long after Lauren had passed out, Bo had found herself staring at the new problem deeply sleeping on her couch. She had texted her Archivist for more information on the mysterious doctor. Bo was familiar with every one of Trick's minions, even without additional information from Hale. Bo had already known that Dr. Lauren Lewis was human, exceptionally intelligent, diligent and dedicated to her work.

She also knew that the good doctor had never harmed a soul. Her intel from Vex's vast network of spies had told her long ago that any mistreatment of captured Dark Fae was perpetrated by Dyson or one of his subordinates, but never the woman who slept on her couch – that, in fact, the doctor had treated some of the Fae in question, if only so that Dyson could torture them more before their subsequent executions.

Still, that wasn't enough information for Bo, and she'd had the Archivist send her a more detailed.

Nearly an hour later, Bo looked up and rubbed her eyes in consternation and disgust. Lauren Lewis wasn't just intelligent – she was _brilliant._

The complete dossier included every accolade and award Lauren's work had earned in the years before she'd come to the world of the Fae, as well as every medical and scientific breakthrough since. She had solved problems all by herself that entire teams of Fae scientists and doctors with wide ranges of skills and abilities hadn't been able to make sense of.

Yet as thanks for all of her exemplary and downright amazing service, she'd been relegated to a lifetime of indentured servitude and confined for years to secured quarters within the Light Fae compound.

Bo noted with curiosity that there was no record of where Lauren had come from – no date or place of birth – but when she glanced at Lauren, pondering her origins, Bo was once again angered by her treatment. Perhaps it was Bo's own history that shaped her opinions, but she detested the idea of human pets. While Bo hadn't outlawed Fae ownership of humans – yet – it was well-known that she was not in favor of it.

There wasn't a single human slave in the Dark Fae compound. Until now.

 _Trick's an even bigger bastard than I thought._

One thought of the Blood King's temperament had her pondering her own humble beginnings.

Bo had been born a McCorrigan into Clan Fin Arvin, and though many had forgotten, had strong family ties in the Light. She was known far and wide as the Dark Queen of the colony, with influence as high in the Fae hierarchy as the Blackthorn's personal circle of friends in the old country.

In her heart and mind, though, she was always Bo Dennis, from Grimley County in the middle of Ontario.

She had no memory of the first few weeks of her life, though she'd heard all the stories from her mother over and over again. Born in Hel. Stolen from her father's clutches by her mother. Hidden among humans for her entire childhood so that her father couldn't use her for his own nefarious ends. Bo knew all of this only from hearsay.

Instead, Bo's memories began with a human family. Bo had been raised by John and Mary Dennis, and had been completely unaware that she wasn't human for much of her young life.

Until Kyle.

Kyle had been a handsome, dark-haired country boy who had captured Bo's teenaged heart, and while she'd tried to follow her parents' Christian teachings, he'd been too much for her hormones to resist. One night, after months of courtship, things got heated in Kyle's pickup truck, and she felt herself carried away with the strength of her passion for him.

When the passion had faded and she'd come back to her senses, she had no memory of what had happened, and Kyle was dead. Frozen in fear, she believed herself a demon come to life, a murderer. A monster. She'd run home to her parents, confessed her sins and begged them for guidance. Instead, they'd told her of her adoption, and that she wasn't human at all.

She hadn't believed them, and after throwing a handful of belongings into a backpack, and cleaning out her savings account, she'd run away from home.

Two weeks later, she met her birth mother, and her entire worldview changed forever.

Saskia was overjoyed to be reunited with her daughter. She begged for Bo's forgiveness, but insisted that it'd been the only way to protect her. Over time, as Bo and Saskia got to know each other, Bo learned about her birth parents and grandparents, about the Fae, about the inviolable laws and absolute rule of the Blood King, and about her own abilities and appetites.

One of the first things she'd learned was that on her 20th birthday, she was expected to choose a side – Light or Dark. Bo spent almost three years with her mother, traveling and learning the ways of the Fae and succubi in particular, but she could not discern a true difference between the two sides. Bo met good and bad Fae on both sides, and in her experience, one allegiance or another wasn't a true testament of someone's character. Her relationship with her mother was tenuous at best, adversarial at worst. Her mother still aligned with the Light, but chose the darkest of paths for herself.

As the pivotal birthday approached, they had returned to the colony, where Bo met the Blood King for the first time. She registered in the colony as required, but couldn't align herself to her mother's path in the world. She put off choosing a side as long as she could, particularly once she got a good look at how things actually worked in the world of the Fae, but when pushed for a decision, Bo chose Dark against her mother's wishes.

The way she saw it, both sides were the same, but she had no intention of ever placing herself under her Trick's tyrannical rule.

Instead, as fate would have it, around that time, Bo took a lover.

While she had no intention of upsetting the power balance in the colony, the fact remained that her lover had a very prominent position with the Dark Fae, and whether Bo gave a damn about politics or not, she still had to navigate the constantly shifting terrain that was the ongoing battle of Light versus Dark.

It was the price of sleeping with the Morrigan.

They were lovers for over nine years. She had loved Evony, and knew that Evony had loved her, but the passion of their relationship was often fed by the arguments they'd had over Fae politics. Evony chose to force her will on the world as it was, with the Dark against the Light, while Bo was certain that a different world was possible if only more would demand it.

Unbeknownst to her, she had a philosophical ally in one Fae who changed the world all by himself, and had died before she was born.

The war had begun over 25 years before Bo's birth. A Dark Fae known as the Druid had shifted the power balance to favor the Dark, and in doing so, angered the Blood King so much that Trick sacrificed nearly a dozen of his own Fae to hunt down the Druid and kill him. Such an act might have been considered justified, but for one seemingly small detail.

The Druid was married to the Morrigan, who was pregnant with his child. His death was the spark that ignited the flame of war.

Through a twist of fate – or a side effect of the Druid's own dark magic – the child was born human, but Evony loved him anyway. Massimo was a human mirror of his Dark Fae father, and as he grew older, studied his father's work and hoped to find glory walking in his footsteps.

Evony had watched her son try for years to find his place in his mother's political cabinet, but ultimately, Massimo was human in a Fae world, and was treated as such. By the time Bo and Evony had become lovers, Massimo had tried repeatedly to gain the respect and admiration of his mother's peers, but failed more often than not. His poor choices often came back to bite him.

One such choice pitted him against one of the Blood King's lieutenants. Massimo inadvertently caused the death of Dyson's lover. Dyson demanded justice.

Evony had no leverage with the Blood King to clear Massimo of his crimes. He'd been executed by the Blood King in retaliation and for months afterward, Evony had mourned the loss of her son.

Bo watched it break her.

Devastated, Evony finally abdicated her position and went into hiding. Thanks to some truly bizarre machinations on Vex's part, Bo was soon in the running for Evony's former job. As she did in all things, Bo rose to the challenge and her time with Saskia had served her well. No one more powerful emerged as competition, and though she was young, the elders knew they couldn't stand against her.

For almost fifteen years, Bo had been Morrigan of the Dark Fae, but all called her the Dark Queen. According to most of the Dark Fae, Bo ruled with an iron hand. It was rumored that she had countless lovers, and exacted cruel vengeance against her enemies.

It was mostly bullshit. Bo didn't correct anything people got wrong, not when it suited her reign. If there was one thing Bo had learned at her mother's side during those few manic years they'd spent together, it was the importance of presentation. Never show weakness. Never explain yourself. Never apologize.

The truth was that she had loved Evony, but had watched Evony's love of her son break her and drive a once powerful Fae to a mere shell of a woman. There had been no room left for Bo in all that grief. Bo's broken heart had long since scarred over, but she hadn't given it away again. While she had taken many lovers – she was a succubus, after all – Bo had not loved any of them.

She had two confidants – one Fae, one human – and kept to herself. She had one singular purpose – end the war decisively in her favor.

And now this beautiful traitor to the Light had fallen into her lap.

A scratch against a hidden inside door was followed by a light tapping. Bo took another sip of the scotch, then set it down on a nearby side table before standing.

The door opened to reveal Vex. Bo wasn't surprised. He was one of the few who knew about the inner door.

She walked across the room to meet him, and was embarrassed to realize she was nearly tip-toeing so she didn't wake up Lauren.

"What's the story there?" Vex asked quietly.

Bo crossed her arms as they both turned to watch the fascinating action of Lauren sleeping. "She really does have a way to stop the war," she said, matching his tone. "Or at least a way of shaking things up enough that we can knock the Blood King off his pedestal."

Vex let out a low whistle. "Holy shit."

"Yeah."

"What's the timeline?"

Bo let out a rude exhale and shook her head. "I don't know yet." She turned to face him, but kept her eyes on Lauren. "The Blood King isn't the best master these days. She looks like she hasn't eaten enough lately and was so exhausted she fell asleep in the heart of enemy territory about five minutes after telling me everything she knew."

She looked up at Vex. "Who've you got who could be mobilized quickly if we need to move fast?"

Vex thought for a moment. "The usual suspects plus a few extra since people are in town for the monthly fealty gathering tomorrow night." He was damned good at his job, and dedicated to his duty as her primary advisor. "Probably over a hundred."

She listened to his answer and started formulating a plan. Bo had often thought that it was dangerous to rely on Vex as much as she did, but Evony had assured Bo that he was trustworthy.

He'd yet to disappoint her.

"What are you going to do with _her?"_ Vex asked.

Bo thought of Lauren's kiss and had a few ideas of _exactly_ what she might do with the doctor, but she sure as hell wasn't going to share them with Vex, or anyone else for that matter.


	3. Chapter 3

[ _ **Author's Note:**_ _Be advised that this story is_ _ **Rated M for mature**_ _for a reason. Later chapters will prove this point. For now, here's a bit more backstory. Thanks for all the great reviews. Keep 'em coming! ~VirginiaBlack517]_

 **CHAPTER THREE**

Lauren's consciousness sluggishly faded in one sense at a time. The warmth of the room seeped into her bones as she burrowed herself deeper into the pillow and cushions.

She felt safe.

That thought in itself was enough to fully wake her up, frozen in fear, eyes still shut.

 _No place is safe, Lewis. Ever._

In the next moment, a buzz of low voices settled into actual words. The Dark Queen was talking to someone nearby.

"- a few things while I figure out what's next," the queen was saying. "She came here with nothing but the clothes on her back."

"Well, sure, Bobo, I can hook her up," a young mystery woman said. "She doesn't look like she's a tricky size. I'll bring some stuff in a few hours."

Lauren kept her eyes closed and tried to clear the fog from her brain. _Bobo?_

The strange voice continued. "What the hell are you gonna do when Trick figures out where she is?"

The Dark Queen didn't respond immediately, and as Lauren lay unmoving, trying not to reveal that she was awake, she felt as if someone were watching her. The pause in conversation became obvious.

Lauren opened her eyes, and gasped. The Dark Queen was looking right at her.

She felt more defenseless lying on her side so she sat up. After a few moments, she tore her eyes from the Dark Queen's and –

Wait, what had the strange woman called the queen? She looked over at the other woman in the room.

The powerful and exuberant voice didn't exactly match the woman's tiny frame. Lauren knew that she herself was under-nourished, but this – this _girl_ looked like Lauren could lift her with just one arm. She had long, dark hair over fair, Slavic features and vivid pale blue eyes.

Was she Fae? Lauren had yet to speak and wasn't sure what she would say if she did. Luckily, the woman spoke first.

"So, you're the little human who can end the big war," she said with a wry grin, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Kenzi," the Dark Queen said. "Meet Dr. Lauren Lewis, formerly in service to the Blood King."

Lauren looked back at the queen in surprise, shocked to hear her full name and title. _How much does she know about me?_

The Dark Queen's lips curled with a small smile, and one elegant eyebrow rose.

"Kenz, maybe you should get to work on that little project we discussed."

Kenzi sprung out of her seat so quickly, Lauren wondered if she'd been poked. "Sure thing, Bo. I'll get right on it."

 _Bo?_

Lauren watched Kenzi walk across the room to the door she herself had walked through the night before.

"And Kenzi?" The Dark Queen called out. "Tell no one about this. If you do, I'll kill you myself."

Lauren drew a sharp breath, but then, to her amazement, Kenzi merely rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," she said. "You forgot to add, 'Good night, Westley.'" She walked out of the room without another word, and Lauren heard a low chuckle come from her captor.

She looked up, unsure of what to say or do, but one question burned in her mind.

"What are you going to do with me?" she asked.

There was a long pause, and then a small smile crossed the Dark Queen's lips and she raised an elegant eyebrow. "What do you think I should do with you?"

A host of carnal images flashed across Lauren's mind despite her precarious predicament, and she felt her whole body flush. Lauren prayed it wasn't visible, but when she saw the Queen's other eyebrow rise to join the first, she knew she'd failed.

"Let's start with breakfast." The Dark Queen stood up and walked into the small kitchen. Lauren quickly stood to follow, but then the thought occurred to her that it might be her last meal.

XX – XX – XX – XX - XX

Bo watched Lauren eat every last bite on her plate. She never once looked up to see Bo staring at her.

It was clear that it had been a long while since she'd had a proper meal.

 _Fucking Trick._ Bo could not understand how anyone – Fae or human – could mistreat such a beautiful and caring woman.

Which she clearly was – Lauren was stunning, even with poorly fitting clothes and bags under her eyes. And for her to risk retribution and possibly death to end the war – she should probably be nominated for sainthood. Bo admitted it was possible that the woman was hiding something and only wanted to end the war for selfish reasons, but it didn't feel that way.

As Bo watched Lauren politely devour the sturdy breakfast Bo had prepared (and really, when was the last time she'd cooked for someone? Kenzi, maybe, months ago?), she found herself missing Lauren's eyes. Bo thought Lauren's eyes said way more than the woman herself. If it weren't for the spikes Bo could see in Lauren's aura that clearly showed the woman had a healthy sex drive, Bo might think Lauren some kind of ascetic.

Lauren took several sips from her water glass before setting it down, and then placed her silverware in the center of her empty plate. She lifted the napkin from her lap to wipe demurely at her mouth, folded it and set it back on the table.

"Thank you," she said in a quiet voice. She leaned back in her chair, and finally looked up at Bo with something like resignation on her face.

 _She acts like this is her last meal._

Then Bo realized that maybe Lauren thought that's what it was.

"You're welcome," Bo replied. "Seems like you may have a missed a few meals. A couple more like that might get you caught up."

Bo noticed that Lauren's shoulders relaxed now that it was clear that Bo wasn't going to kill her. Yet.

"I don't know what to call you," Lauren said.

Bo's inner succubus had a few inappropriate suggestions, but she hoped her thoughts weren't visible on her face. _Not very queenly of you, Bo._ Then again, she reminded herself of her plan to keep Lauren guessing. How best to do that?

"What's wrong with my name?" Bo said finally.

Lauren's expression was blank for a moment and then she swallowed in apparent nervousness before speaking. "Bo, is it?"

"Got it in one," Bo replied, but then she found herself briefly stumped about how to proceed. She wanted to learn more about Lauren, wanted to find out more about Trick and the method Lauren had to stop the war, but she absolutely did _not_ want to mistreat the woman in any way. It was clear Lauren had already seen enough of that.

Opening with her interrogation seemed like a sure fire way to drive the woman into some sort of self-protective shell.

They stared at each other for a few minutes – neither looking away, but neither speaking a word.

Bo wasn't sure what to do next, and then cursed her own indecision.

"We can dance around this forever, but frankly, I don't have time," Bo said. "Why don't we start with you? What's your story?"

Lauren stared at her blankly for a moment, and then began to speak almost dispassionately as she answered Bo's questions.

"I was born and raised in the United States. My upbringing was so normal it's too boring to mention. I went to Yale for undergraduate and medical school, and then served in the Army in Afghanistan as a medic for two tours. I mustered out and decided to go back to research." She stated all of this in a tone so matter of fact, it sounded like a script to Bo.

"In the interest of time, let me skip to the important parts. I was in the Congo on a research grant when a blood-borne virus quickly infected over half the population of a nearby village. I volunteered to help."

Her voice had grown hoarse, so Lauren took another sip from her water glass. "I soon discovered that the blood of the victims was dramatically different from normal human blood, which is how I learned about the Fae." She looked away for a moment, and Bo could see that she was uncomfortable. "I ultimately isolated a cure, and was given a choice: a quick execution or a life in service to the Light Fae."

Her tone turned harsh. "At the time, service seemed preferable to death."

Bo realized that Lauren had re-evaluated that choice.

"I've been spent the last eight years, six months, and five days serving the Blood King," Lauren finished flatly. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I bet you know the rest."

 _I guess sleep and a full meal gave her back some spine._ Bo supposed that she could have been offended by the affront, but she was actually glad to see it. _I bet she's even more beautiful angry._

"And your human life? Friends? Family?"

"All gone," Lauren said flatly.

 _Jesus. She has no one._

Bo didn't like the sound of that at all, then felt uncomfortable wondering why she cared.

A light tap on the door interrupted yet another long stare between them.

"Come in," Bo called, and looked to the door – but only after Lauren had broken their stare.

Vex walked into the room with Bruce, the smartest of the ogre quadruplets who Vex had hired for security. One look at him and the fear was back in Lauren's eyes.

Bo didn't like that, either.


	4. Chapter 4

[ _ **Author's Note:**_ _Be advised that this story is_ ** _Rated M for mature_** _. The next chapter has "mature themes" and there's also violence ahead. Keep that in mind._

 _Thank you so much for all the great reviews. It's encouraging to know that you're appreciating the story. Keep 'em coming! ~VirginiaBlack517]_

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

Bo stared out the backseat window of the large SUV, tuning out the argument Vex and Kenzi were having about some band Kenzi loved and Vex abhorred. Bo said nothing, her eyes watching the dark city streets as they passed through town, but her thoughts were of the woman sitting silently beside her.

Lauren hadn't said a word since their lengthy interrogation session had ended. _Maybe she's all talked out._

For over ten hours, Lauren had answered every question asked of her, and offered more detail than even Vex's spies could provide. While quite a bit of what Lauren had revealed was information they already knew – key players, the layout of the Light Fae compound, Trick's personal schedule – there was much Bo had not heard before now.

Trick's mental state was more volatile than Bo remembered, and his lieutenants had grown more cruel and calculating. Though new information, Bo wasn't exactly surprised to hear it.

The one revelation that had surprised her, though, had not been about Trick, or his lieutenants or anything about the Light Fae compound, or even the war. It had been about Lauren herself.

At one point, Bruce had mentioned that – with Lauren's intel – the Dark Fae could eliminate Trick's entire organization. Lauren had startled them all with her instant and very vocal anger – insisting Trick was the target, and perhaps his lieutenants, but that there were good people in Trick's ranks, and Lauren wouldn't say another word if it meant their deaths.

If that's what the Dark Queen wanted, Lauren had said while looking squarely in Bo's eyes, then she should just kill Lauren now.

There had been a long silence after that. Bruce had looked to Bo, thinking that she would mete out some punishment. Vex's eyes had danced back and forth between Lauren and Bo, as if he saw something Bo didn't, but Bo –

Bo had been overcome with the strangest feeling when she saw Lauren defend non-combatants. She ultimately realized that what she felt was approval – and then she'd hoped that it hadn't shown on her face.

Lauren had then said that it was bad enough she was a traitor for helping stage a coup, but that she wouldn't be party to senseless murder.

Other than that, Lauren had made no demands. Not once did she ask for a thing in return – not even bathroom breaks or meals. Yet for all Lauren had revealed, Bo still had questions – ones that she had not wanted to ask in front of Vex or Bruce.

Why now? What was it about this particular group of Fae that Trick had threatened to destroy? What was in it for Lauren?

And why come to Bo?

And on top of everything else – as if all those things weren't enough – Bo was wrestling with one thing that occupied her mind above all the others.

Bo wanted Lauren.

She didn't just want to have sex with her, or simply feed from her. She wanted _her – all_ of her. She wanted Lauren to be hers and hers alone and the urge was making her crazy. Her succubus wanted to claim the woman and never let her go. The more human side of her balked at those feelings. It wasn't very – well, _humane_ for her to want to possess a human woman. But sometimes, when Lauren looked at her, Bo burned with the need to grab the woman, throw her down on the nearest horizontal surface and make Lauren hers.

It was a rush that made her skin tingle. She couldn't remember a time when she'd ever felt that way or heard the persistent whispers from her succubus to take what she wanted. If she was honest with herself, she might say that it was scary, but she pushed that thought from her mind as quickly as it had come.

It was currently a constant battle between her more human sensibilities and the instinctive drive of her succubus.

Lauren's aura wasn't helping matters. Though Lauren said not a word, there were moments when her energy pulsed with attraction and need, and even now, with Bo's eyes looking out the window and Lauren beyond Bo's peripheral vision, Bo could still _feel_ the pull coming from the woman beside her. In fact, Bo was starting to wonder if Lauren herself might be some sort of Trojan horse, but then she surprised herself by praying that there was no subterfuge between her and her new charge, because she _wanted_ to trust Lauren.

And Lauren was indeed under her protection. Bruce had suggested moving her to one of the dungeons, but she'd shut that possibility down immediately. Vex had said that they had plenty of room in the Dark Fae compound and that he could find comfortable quarters for Lauren, but Bo didn't want that either.

She wanted Lauren close to her. Bo told herself it was because she needed answers, but she was fairly certain that Lauren had told her all there was to tell about stopping Trick. No, the questions that remained had to do with the woman herself.

The vehicle slowed as they neared their destination. Bo wanted those answers as soon as possible, but time was short. She could solve the enigma of Dr. Lauren Lewis later. Right now, though…

Right now, she needed to rally the troops for war.

XX - XX – XX – XX - XX

The disparity between her previous service and her current situation was so dramatic, Lauren was still getting her bearings.

The large vehicle she rode in glided across the city streets while Lauren stared out her window and tried to figure out where they were going. She hadn't dared to speak a word, though she didn't have much to contribute to the argument Kenzi and Vex seemed to be pretending to have. The two ogres in the front seat were silent and the Dark Queen beside Lauren hadn't said a word or moved a muscle.

Occasionally, though, Lauren could feel eyes on her, but she thought it might be Vex or Kenzi sizing her up.

Lauren was hyper aware of every movement beside her, which is how she knew there hadn't been one. With a good night's sleep and several meals in her, Lauren was now starting to notice other things since she was no longer distracted by her own hunger or fatigue. Like the fact that the woman holding her captive was…captivating.

While the queen absolutely dominated her staff, she was never cruel. She was more lenient with Vex and Kenzi, and there was deference, but clear affection from each of them for the queen.

As for the way Bo treated Lauren…

Lauren had been interrogated – if it could be called that compared to her prior experiences – for the better part of the day and evening by the Dark Queen, her lieutenant, Vex, and one of the ogres. Lauren had also received her share of positive surprises.

Though she had asked many questions about everything Lauren might know, the Dark Queen – _Bo,_ she corrected herself – had insisted that they break for lunch, which she made sure Lauren was given, even though the queen herself didn't eat with her.

Two hours after that, Kenzi had arrived with a change of clothes and few personal items which she wordlessly gave to Lauren, though Kenzi chatted amiably with Bo. Bo had then led Lauren to a small bathroom and "ordered" her to take as long as she needed to get cleaned up.

Lauren had taken a much-needed shower – with, dear gods, _hot_ water instead of cold for the first time in years – though she hadn't wanted to push her luck by taking too long.

Later, in fact, she thought she'd finally pushed too far when she spoke out against the ogre's plan to assassinate Trick's entire organization, but she'd meant every word. The ogre seemed afraid of what Bo's response might be since Lauren had flat out told the queen to just kill her now if that was how the queen planned to use all this information. Vex had clearly been recalculating his estimation of Lauren herself, but the queen had stared at her for a long time without saying a word.

There had been something her eyes, but Lauren hadn't been able to figure it out however much she stared.

She and Bo stared at each other a lot.

Later, Bruce had left to handle some errand of Vex's, though Kenzi and Vex remained. Lauren noticed immediately that the tension in the room was different with these two in Bo's company – Bo was less formal around them, though not exactly relaxed. There had been more questions before Bo paused them again for another meal. When Lauren was asked – a third time – about the science behind the method Lauren had for neutralizing Trick, she had actually been given a glass of wine.

Lauren had _never_ been treated so well. For a moment, she thought back to her last day at the Light Fae compound. It was less than forty-eight hours before, but it already felt like another lifetime.

" _Lauren."_

 _Lauren flinched at the deep male voice as its owner stormed into her lab. She blinked the grit of fatigue from her eyes and rose from her desk to face the entrance._

" _Yes, Dyson?" She'd learned long ago at great personal cost to answer respectfully when the Blood King's lieutenant spoke to her._

 _He stopped well inside her personal space, his broad shoulders towering over her. "When will you finish your analysis of my crime scene?"_

 _The Blood King had strategically placed Dyson, his oldest lieutenant, in the local police department. Whenever a Fae-related case attracted the notice of the human world – thereby risking the exposure of the Fae world - it ended up on Dyson's desk. If anything required any sort of scientific analysis, Dyson brought it to Lauren since he couldn't use the police crime labs. He regularly expected miracles. Most of the time, Lauren delivered._

 _She chose not to remember the times she hadn't._

" _Preliminary analysis is complete." She retrieved a folder from her desk and handed it to him. He flipped it open and began to read the results. "Your perpetrator is a male Harvestra Fae. Additional analysis was needed on the samples you gave me in order to provide greater detail, but should be complete in six hours."_

 _He stood reading the file without speaking for ten minutes. Lauren tried to keep her back straight, though she was so exhausted she was afraid she might collapse. While forcing her eyes open, she mentally repeated a mantra she hadn't needed since her military days._ _ **Don't lock your knees. Don't lock your knees.**_

 _Finally, Dyson closed the folder and then looked at his watch. "I'll expect a phone call from you personally as soon as those results are in."_

" _Yes, Dyson," Lauren answered, though crestfallen. She'd been in this lab since 5am and it was already after 9pm. Now, she'd be here for another six hours, because he'd know if she left, and there'd be hell to pay._

 _He stared at her for another minute before leaving without another word._

 _Lauren sank into her chair, and for a moment, considered giving in. What was the worst that would happen? She already knew – she'd be thrown in a dungeon without food and with little water for days on end._ _ **At least I'll be able to sleep,**_ _she thought darkly._

 _She was too tired to cry. Lauren sat up and opted for what she did best. She got back to work._

 _Five and a half hours later, the notification popped up on her computer monitor informing her the analysis was complete. She looked quickly at the time. If she called Dyson now, and emailed the results to him, she might be able to grab a few hours' sleep before she had to be back to work._

 _Before she had a chance to open a single file, the sound of rushing footsteps drew her alarmed gaze to the door._

" _Dr. Lewis!"_

 _Only Hale Santiago called her Dr. Lewis. For every other Fae in the Blood King's organization, she was a lowly human first, and an award-winning physician and researcher a distant second._

 _She stood in surprise. "What is it, Hale?"_

" _Dr. Lewis, come quick. Some new Fae have come to the colony, and some of them are really sick. The Blood King wants you to take a look at them immediately."_

 _Lauren closed her eyes tightly and tried not to cry._ _ **No rest for the weary.**_

That had been two days ago. _Less_ than two days.

After the lengthy questioning sessions had ended, Bo had politely insisted Lauren accompany her to "the evening's festivities" though Lauren still didn't know what that meant. Vex had insisted that having Lauren out in the open would give away a tactical advantage. Bo had ignored him.

Not long after, Lauren had found herself in the back of a large SUV with Bo, Vex, and Kenzi. The backseat had been modified to resemble a limousine, with two opposing wide bench seats in the back. Bo and Lauren sat in the far back seat, facing the front. Vex and Kenzi sat facing them. One of the enormous ogres drove, with one of his brothers in the front passenger seat.

Lauren realized that she was forcing herself _not_ to look at Bo. There were too many people watching them, and Lauren innately knew that now was not the time to stare into Bo's eyes for those long silences that seemed to pass between them. Yet she itched to move closer to the queen. It was maddening.

When they arrived at their location, Lauren exited the car to find herself in a dark alley. Bo gestured Lauren to follow closely, and soon she entered a back entrance to what was revealed to be a nightclub. Dozens of people were dancing and drinking before a stage that held several chairs – one larger than the rest that was clearly a throne.

A roar went up from the crowd when Bo entered the room, some chanting phrase repeatedly that Lauren couldn't make out. The chanting was uneven until the crowd synchronized, accompanied by stomping that shook the floor and rattled the rafters.

MORRIGAN

MORRIGAN

MORRIGAN

Suddenly, the crowd was drowned by loud music blaring from unseen speakers. After a musical introduction befitting a touring rock star, Bo took to the stage, her entourage – Lauren included, much to her dismay – along with her.

Bo walked confidently front and center. Vex and Kenzi moved toward the back of the stage, though they didn't sit, and Lauren instinctively moved to stand off to the side – still on stage, but she could see Bo's face.

Bo raised her arms and the room fell silent.

Lauren watched fascinated as her Bo's dark eyes flared cerulean blue and waves of red luminescence washed across Bo's bare arms like plasma. When Bo finally spoke, her voice resonated in the split-octaves Lauren had heard once before in the Dark Queen's throne room.

"Hello, my pretty, pretty Fae," Bo said, and a slow, sexy smile spread across her lips. The responding roar was so deep, it raised goosebumps on Lauren's skin. Bo smile grew to a grin, but after a few minutes her face grew serious, and the crowd quieted.

"I have been your Morrigan for some time now, and so many of you have served me well."

The Dark Queen paused as the crowd cheered again. After a moment, they settled once again, and when she spoke again, her voice sounded human and her eyes were once again brown. Lauren realized that she herself was beginning to compartmentalize the woman before her into _two_ selves - one the Dark Queen of the disquieting voice, the other one simply the woman Lauren called Bo.

"The time is nearly upon us, my Fae – the time to push the old ways behind us once and for all and to move forward into a free and independent world governed only by the One Rule. "

The resulting roar rattled the building's frame, yet with one tilt of Bo's head, the crowd was commanded quiet.

"For too long, the Blood King has forced us to choose, forced us to say goodbye to loved ones and opportunity and pick a side and live with that decision for our long, Fae lives. When we don't meet his demands, his justice is swift and permanent. He has destroyed families, divided our strength and in doing so, he weakens us all.

"Our paths are our own to choose, and we will be stronger without his laws or his justice."

Bo clenched one fist at her side.

"We will fight. We will win. We will be a free and independent, united Fae and all of us will live as we choose under the One Rule, and when that happens, I will take my place in our history and let each of you carry us forward into the future."

Lauren was moved, and for a moment, felt the itch of tears threaten her eyes. _This_ was the kind of leader she'd thought Trick to be, and she had been mistaken. In all her years in his service, she had never seen a moment such as this – a leader who spoke to the Fae of their freedom, and their own place in the world.

Lauren had not seen so much as a twitch of the evil iron fist that was rumored of the Dark Queen. So far, in word and deed, Bo had been strict and reserved, but fair, driven to lead but selfless in action.

Here was a leader Lauren could believe in.

"But until that day," Bo paused, and the resonance of her voice changed, and her eyes flared blue as her voice took on that split octave resonance that chilled Lauren's skin and seemed to echo in her chest. It was frightening and powerful. It was exhilarating.

It was arousing.

"Until he is defeated, I am your queen. Those loyal to our cause have nothing to fear and have my protection and aid, for I," here she paused and let her eyes comb the room. "I am your greatest ally."

Her voice turned low. "Those who betray me or mine will suffer."

She paused as a murmur passed through the gathered crowd. Then, to Lauren's surprise, the Dark Queen's expression turned light, her voice sultry as she smiled. Her devastating allure captivated every soul in the nightclub – Lauren included.

"Now, come closer, my loyal and beautiful Fae, and taste my kiss."

In the next moment, Bo's mouth opened as she moved to one side of the stage, closer to Lauren. She spread her arms as she blocked Lauren from the rest of the room. Lauren watched with wide eyes as swirling blue – something – moved from the mouths of each person in attendance and flowed towards Bo.

She wondered what was happening since she couldn't see Bo's face, and then realized that Bo was feeding on everyone in the room. It was an awesome feat, one that clearly demonstrated how very powerful the Dark Queen was, and Lauren was aghast.

Lauren supposed that she should feel threatened – terrified, even – by the spectacle before her, but the odd feeling running through her body wasn't fear.

No, she'd felt enough fear over the last few days to easily recognize it.

It took a while for her to think about why she wasn't included in the feeding. At first, Lauren had thought it was because she was human, but Kenzi was here, and a thin stream of blue essence flowed from Kenzi's mouth to join the steady river towards the queen.

The queen had stepped in front of Lauren before she began the dramatic draw of chi from every person in the room- almost as if she were protecting her.

 _Why?_

Here she stood, evidently the newly acquired chattel of the Dark Queen herself and displayed as such for all the world to see, and yet it was clear by the queen's own action that Lauren was held in a different regard.

XX – XX – XX – XX - XX

Lauren was certain she was losing her mind.

Nothing else made sense. She was an intelligent, self-possessed person, with a keen understanding of the world around her. Though a slave, she had never once kid herself about her place in the Fae world. Her current obsession must be some form of insanity.

Why else could she suddenly imagine herself in Bo's arms or at her feet? Perhaps it was Stockholm syndrome. Or some PTSD from the sustained servitude over nearly decade.

 _Yeah, right, Lewis. Maybe it's because she's sexy as fuck and you haven't been laid in years._

It couldn't possibly be something more.

Could it?

Lauren had escaped late Tuesday evening and it was now the early dark hours of Thursday. Since the moment the Dark Queen had set eyes on her, Lauren had been almost exclusively in her custody.

Yet since that first kiss – one that nearly made Lauren blush just thinking about it – there had been no physical contact between them.

The Dark Queen could enthrall with a touch, but hadn't so much as brushed against Lauren since that first night. Even tonight, after that incredible spectacle, Bo had seemed almost intoxicated, touching nearly everyone in passing as her entourage circulated the club before leaving soon after – everyone but Lauren.

Bo had even kissed Kenzi's cheek when Bruce stopped the SUV to drop the woman off somewhere in town, and Kenzi had made a comment about Bo being literally drunk with power.

The Dark Queen had laughed in that split-octave voice that made Lauren's heart race, which must have been apparent because Bo's eyes had then pinned Lauren in place against the SUV's rear passenger door. The look she had given Lauren in that moment had awakened parts of Lauren's body that she hadn't even _thought_ of in years.

Now, back in the queen's private rooms, Lauren sat on the couch alone. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to push the thoughts from her mind, but the harder she tried, the faster they flew through her mind's eye. Bo's kiss, the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, walked, _moved –_

Suddenly she felt movement beside her on the couch, and her eyes flew open to see Bo sitting beside her, one arm propped up holding her head on the back of the couch, her legs crossed. Her dark hair looked fuller after her feeding, Lauren noticed. In fact, everything about her looked – _luscious._ Lauren clamped her eyes shut again.

"Oh, Dr. Lewis," Bo laughed as she reached across the back of the couch to run her fingers through Lauren's hair. Her voice deepened in resonance as Lauren opened her eyes again. "It really doesn't have to be this hard."

Bo ran a fingertip lightly along Lauren's jaw, that electrifying arousing sensation rose in its wake, and Lauren immediately ached for whatever might happen next.


	5. Chapter 5

[ _ **Author's Note:**_ _I cleaned up a few continuity errors in the previous chapter. This chapter is shorter, but it's necessary for the tale to unfold as planned. Also, be advised –_ _ **RATED M FOR MATURE**_ _._

 _Thank you for the kind and encouraging reviews! More story to come. ~VirginiaBlack517]_

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

The air was thick and hot but it felt good against Lauren's naked skin. The sheets had been too much and had been kicked to the floor at some point. Low light – barely enough to see – lit the bedroom. There was plenty of room for both of them on the king-sized bed, but they were pressed against each other in its center, Bo whispering encouragement as she lay beneath Lauren.

Lauren panted, trying to get more oxygen to her brain, but her body had other plans.

"Oh, gods, I –" Lauren gasped for air. "I'm gonna come –"

Bo pushed Lauren up from her chest without effort, one hand wrapped almost gently around Lauren's throat. "Not yet." Her other hand slowed its pace but pressed deeper inside Lauren.

"I want something sweet first," Bo said, her eyes flashed to a blue so bright that it washed light over their skin, and her voice deepened to the split tones of the powerful succubus within. "Just a taste."

In that moment, Lauren would have given anything demanded of her by that voice.

Lauren tasted metal on her tongue as the orgasm built in her body, her limbs shaking, her heart pounding. She felt – something – move through her and leave through her mouth, watched a stream of swirling blue dance between her mouth and Bo's. It was brief and it made the powerful sensations coursing through her body so much more intense. As soon as it started, it stopped, but it drove the pleasure she felt to nearly the point of pain.

Bo's eyes rolled briefly back into her head. She licked her lips and smiled. "Delicious." She slowly lowered Lauren's body back down to hers, pressed her lips to Lauren's with a moan, and then broke the kiss as she quickened the pace of her driving fingers. "Now you can come for me."

Lauren screamed in exultation as her entire body tightened and orgasm drove thought from her mind.

XX – XX – XX – XX - XX

Bo drew her fingers over the back of Lauren's thighs, drawing patterns in the perspiration on Lauren's warm skin as she listened to Lauren try to catch her breath. Lauren had collapsed on her side, her body still twitching from the screaming orgasm she'd had minutes before.

Her eyes were begging for more.

Bo didn't want to stop. She rarely did – sex was life for her, and she was always reluctant to stop once she'd begun, but this…this was different.

 _Lauren_ was different. Every movement of limb, every touch, every kiss was reckless and beautiful and perfect.

Lauren's words might be hesitant and few, but her body was sure and strong – and relentless. When Bo finally let her, Lauren drove Bo to orgasm half a dozen times and only stopped when Bo finally – though gently - shoved her away.

Impressive.

Bo had thought she could resist the siren's call of Lauren's arousal, but her aura had been blinding and practically sizzled a halo around Lauren's body. Lauren hadn't said a word, had kept herself out of arms reach, had barely met her eyes, but the moment they were alone –

Bo could almost taste Lauren's need from across the room. So soon after such a powerful feeding, her succubus was harder to control and she had finally given in.

She didn't regret it in the least, but wouldn't let herself think of the consequences yet.

Lauren pushed herself up to her hands and knees, every movement signaling her fatigue. Her eyes told Bo a different story, and Bo couldn't help but smile and reach out to pull Lauren back into her arms.

XX – XX – XX – XX - XX

The sound of a sharp, rapid knock woke Lauren. She rose quickly to a sitting position, absently aware that a soft, warm arm fell to her waist. It took her a moment to remember where she was, and why.

Bo moved more slowly, cursing under her breath. "Who is it and what the hell do you want?" She called out as she sat up in bed, recently restored sheets clasped against her chest.

"Bo," Vex called. "We've got ourselves a right nasty cock-up."

Lauren watched Bo stare at the door and sigh, then turn to look at a nearby digital clock. Lauren's eyes followed – it was nearly 4am.

"Goddamnit," Bo mumbled. "You better make some fucking coffee!" Bo yelled at the door, and then collapsed back on the bed.

Lauren wasn't sure what to do, but figured she should start by getting dressed. She turned her back to Bo, set her feet on the floor and looked around for her clothes.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Lauren felt herself gently yanked back to the bed, hands snaking around her body to pull her roughly against the queen – but then soft lips brushed gently against her shoulder.

"I didn't say you could go anywhere," Bo said softly into her ear, and then licked her earlobe. "It'll be ten minutes before that coffee is ready."

Lauren couldn't think of a response – _really, Yalie, where is your head?_ – but quickly realized words weren't required as warm lips pressed against hers and a firm thigh pushed between her legs.

Ten minutes later, she was gasping again for air, sheets clenched in her hands as Bo's tongue finished its wicked work on her. Her body still seized and shook with aftershocks of the incredible orgasm that had singed her entire body. Her eyes were tightly closed against the tears that threatened – it had been _so long_ since anyone had touched her like this and so deeply - but the urge to cry abated as Bo crawled up her body, sank her weight into Lauren, and kissed her lips.

"You," Bo paused to kiss her again. "Are." Lauren felt a warm tongue against her lips, and tasted herself on Bo as she kissed Bo back. "Delicious."

Bo didn't say another word as she kissed away a tear that had escaped from Lauren's tightly closed eyes. "Stay here," she whispered. "I'll go see what all the fuss is about. Go back to sleep." After a final soft, lingering kiss on Lauren's lips, she rose from the bed and quickly dressed.

Bo walked back to the bed, arranging the covers around Lauren. "I mean it. Stay here and rest." After one more kiss to Lauren's forehead, Bo left the room and quietly shut the door behind her.

Lauren turned on her side, insides still throbbing with pleasure. She thought for a moment that Bo didn't want her to hear about whatever was going on, and perhaps that was why she'd insisted that Lauren stay in bed. Bo didn't really just want her to get some rest, did she?

The domineering queen gave way at times to a caring and compassionate lover, but that only confounded Lauren more.

What kind of queen tucked in a slave?

XX – XX – XX – XX – XX

Vex was propped against the butcher block table, blowing the steam from a mug in his hands, and nodded towards a second cup on the table by his side.

"We better be in the middle of an invasion, Vex," Bo grumbled as she reached for the coffee.

Vex sipped from his cup, and winced at the heat. "Close. Trick sent a message not long ago." He looked at her as if fearing her response. "Return the doctor or there'll be hell to pay."

Bo rolled her eyes. "You woke me up for that?"

Vex set his cup down. "The message was written on a piece of parchment, and the parchment was attached to Dave's head by way of a dagger. Through Dave's skull."

Bo's eyes flashed blue.

"Where are Steve and Bruce?"

"Here in the compound, with a few of my crew keeping eyes on them," Vex said. "I was afraid they were going to go after the Blood King themselves." His eyes fell to the floor. "Can't really say I blame them."

Bo stood silent for a good five minutes, coffee forgotten.

Finally, she set the cup down on the table. "Call everyone you can trust and get them ready as quietly as possible." Vex stood taller, and nodded at her instructions. "I want to know where Trick is, where he's planning to be, where Dyson is, who's at the Light compound, and who's at the Dal." She started to pace as she ticked off her requirements on her fingers. "Get our key people on lockdown, but try to keep it quiet. I don't want to tip anyone off. And leave Hale in the dark on this if you can."

She paused to look Vex in the eyes. "This ends today."

"Right." He slammed another draught of the still too-hot coffee then headed for the door to the throne room. With one hand on the doorknob, he looked back to Bo.

"What do you want me to do with her?" He tilted his head towards the bedroom door. Bo didn't ask how he knew Lauren was behind it.

"Never mind her. She stays with me."

Vex evidently thought it wise not to comment.

Bo stared off into space for a long moment after Vex left, surprised that she wasn't more nervous about a final confrontation with Trick. All she felt, though, was a cold resolve. He'd gone too far.

He'd always gone too far. On top of everything else, just seeing how he'd treated Lauren infuriated her.

She didn't want to think about how much of her anger at Trick had to do with the woman sleeping in her bed.

Bo walked over to the kitchen counter, poured another cup of coffee and carried it with her to her bedroom. She turned on a lamp, and reached out to gently shake Lauren awake.

"Change of plans," she said, offering the cup to Lauren.

Lauren sat up to take it, but then they both looked to the door as they heard shouting.

Vex suddenly appeared in the doorway and Bo knew immediately that something was wrong. She watched Vex take a deep breath, visibly fortifying himself.

 _Oh, shit,_ Bo thought. _This is not good._

"It's Evony," Vex said, and Bo's blood ran cold.


	6. Chapter 6

[ _ **Author's Note**_ _: I'm very grateful for all the encouraging reviews. Be advised, this chapter is very much_ _ **RATED M FOR MATURE**_ _. Not for the squeamish. Now, on with the story. ~VirginiaBlack517]_

 **CHAPTER SIX**

Lauren nearly tripped trying to keep up with Bo and Vex as they hurried through a labyrinth of corridors.

She felt as if there were _two_ of her. One was the traitorous human slave following Dark Fae elite through the compound headed for the gods only knew where. The other was a newly awakened woman, all her limbs singing with the vibrancy of hours spent in Bo's arms. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she felt _alive._

Guilt washed over her as they raced along another hall. She herself felt better than she had in years, but something terrible had happened to someone else and it may have been her fault.

The second time they'd been interrupted by Vex, Bo had grabbed a handful of Lauren's clothes and handed them to her, saying only, "Hurry." Lauren had quickly dressed and then followed Bo without another word between them. Lauren had been forced to glean information from what she had overheard between Bo and Vex.

The Blood King's goons had found someone who apparently meant a great deal to both the Dark Queen and her lieutenant. They had tried to kidnap her, but she'd fought them off, and then – after losing many of their own in the process - left her for dead.

Lauren saw signs on the wall pointing to a medical wing. Noise and commotion at the end of the hall marked their destination. Vex got to the room first, and stopped in horror at the double-wide sliding glass door, moaning in grief. "Little sister, what have they _done_ to you?"

Someone screamed as Bo and Lauren reached the door, and Lauren was assaulted with the smell of blood, bile and burning flesh. Lauren panned her eyes around the room and collected information in seconds. Three nurses, two doctors – correction, one doctor as the other's flesh bubbled and melted before her eyes – another pile of melted flesh across the room, and one screaming patient on the table.

The patient was obviously a powerful Fae who had killed two of the medics trying to help her. She was clearly out of her mind with pain because the arm she was holding up to kill was broken and its shoulder dislocated, Blood from a scalp wound of some kind ran down half the woman's face. More blood soaked the woman's clothes in several places, but Lauren couldn't tell what kind of wounds caused that bleeding. Still, the way blood was pouring out of her made it clear that she didn't have much time.

The patient was clearly in agony, but had terrified the staff into keeping their distance. One of the nurses suddenly screamed and grabbed a scalpel, holding it to her own neck as she pushed back against a wall.

"Bloody _do something!"_ Vex yelled, his arm raised in the direction of the screaming nurse.

Lauren added new facts to her quick mental calculus. _The patient is Leanan Sidhe. He's a Mesmer._

She glanced quickly at Bo, and saw sadness and pain and helplessness on her face. This wasn't something Bo could simply order or _will_ the doctors into fixing. This was beyond the Dark Queen's reach.

Lauren was torn. As a doctor, she was sworn to aid in any case, but they were in the Dark compound, she was a traitor and there was no way they'd let her help. In the Blood King's compound, humans weren't even allowed to treat Fae elders. The penalty was death. Lauren assumed the laws must be similar here.

Still, Lauren saw Bo's eyes tear up, and her own heart clenched in response. Whoever this woman was, she meant something to Bo, and Lauren knew she _had_ to try, even though she knew there'd be hell to pay. At this point, though, in how many ways was her life forfeit? What was one more sin?

Lauren leapt forward to grab a pair of gloves from a dispenser on the wall. "Damnit, Vex, let her go. I need her," she yelled. "Do something useful and hold the patient's hands still." She moved to the end of the patient table just behind the woman's head.

"Evony?" Lauren said into the suddenly quiet room. "Evony, my name is Lauren. I'm a doctor, and I'm going to help you but you've got to stop killing the staff."

She looked up at Vex, who had released the nurse but stood motionless, eyes racing back and forth between Lauren, Bo and Evony.

"Vex!" Lauren called out to him. "Her hands." She yelled out orders to the nurses in a newly confident voice, asking for vitals and scissors.

When no one moved, a new voice joined the melee.

"Do whatever she says or answer to me," the Dark Queen roared.

XX – XX – XX – XX – XX

Bo watched with her heart in her throat as Lauren worked to help Evony. If she weren't so worried that Evony might die any minute, she might be impressed. Lauren had completely taken over, and her blatant confidence in her own skills in this arena was unmistakable.

Lauren barked orders and berated the staff when they didn't move quickly enough. Not once did she look up from her patient – not until Evony was stabilized, and out of danger. Lauren even made a few recommendations outside of normal, human medicine, insisting that two different types of Fae with specific healing powers be brought in immediately to aid in Evony's recovery.

Lauren spoke to Bo clearly as she finished with Evony, summarizing the wounds and the necessary healing procedures, making sure the rest of the staff understood the next steps, and then moved aside when they pushed Evony's gurney from the room for more treatment.

When it was over and done, and Bo exhaled knowing Evony was away from death's door, she watched Lauren toss aside her bloodied gloves, wash her hands in a nearby sink and then stand against a wall with her hands against her sides, and her eyes staring at the floor.

Awaiting judgment.

It took Bo a moment to realize that Lauren believed she was going to be punished for stepping in. Even though she had just saved Evony's life.

 _What did Trick_ _ **do**_ _to you?_

It was one more thing to be pissed about, and at present, she had a long list. Right now, though, she wanted out of the stench of this ward.

She walked across the room and stood in front of Lauren, waiting until Lauren's eyes rose to hers.

Her eyes were so expressive, and right now, she looked sad, but not apologetic. Like she had broken something precious, but would break it again if she had to. Lauren's eyes were the color of fine whiskey, and Bo was certain she could stare in them for hours, but not here.

Bo stepped back. "Let's go." She didn't wait for Lauren to follow her as she left the room. Bo knew she would.

XX – XX – XX – XX- XX

Lauren wondered if this was it. By coming to the Dark with information against the Blood King, Lauren had set all of this in motion. She was sure that she'd be executed now, but even though she feared her own death, she did not regret having tried.

Bo walked through the halls of the medical ward, headed toward the main part of the compound, and several Dark Fae fell in to guard her. One by one they peeled off to do her bidding as a flurry of orders fell from her lips.

Lauren kept waiting for Bo to give orders that would have her taken into custody, to berate her for breaking ranks – anything – but Bo didn't say another word to her until they were once again alone in the small apartment behind the throne room. Instead of taking off her coat, or stopping anywhere in the room, Bo moved through the kitchen and opened a door Lauren had incorrectly guessed was a pantry.

 _How many doors are there to this place?_

Bo disappeared behind the unknown door, and next, Lauren heard Bo's boots climbing a flight of stairs until they stopped.

"You coming?" Bo called.

Lauren was certain this was the weirdest execution ever. At this point, perhaps Bo wasn't going to kill her, but Lauren wasn't going to relax either.

She walked across the kitchen and into the unknown. When she looked up the stairs, she could see light and a ceiling of dark wooden beams, but no Bo. She closed the door behind her, and climbed the stairs.

By the time she got to the top, Bo had removed her coat and stood before a serving station with a beautiful etched decanter in hand. "Scotch?"

Lauren stood still, eyes combing her new surroundings. "Yes, please." The pale light of sunrise through thick glass windows washed the wide, open room, and Lauren could see the difference between this room's welcome and the cool distance of the rooms below.

This was where Bo really lived.

Bo served them both a healthy portion of scotch despite the early hour, then carried them across the room to a huge, pale-colored sectional.

"Thank you for saving her life." Bo said, and sat down with a sigh.

Lauren wasn't sure what to say to that. _You're welcome_ seemed oddly inappropriate.

"I don't love her," Bo said, and then paused. "I mean, I'm not in love with her. Not anymore."

Lauren hadn't wondered at all about that and thought it odd that Bo mentioned it, but now that she knew, some coil inside her unwound. She sat gingerly on the edge of a seat of the sectional, worried about getting Evony's blood on the furniture.

"But she has been a part of my life for so many years, I don't think I could stand it if something happened to her." She leaned back and rested the glass against her lap. "She was the Morrigan before me and we were lovers before she abdicated."

Lauren's heart nearly stopped at that information. The fact that she – a human – had just treated the former Morrigan and lived to tell the tale was beyond her imagining, but then her heart started racing when Bo's anger made an appearance.

"I am so fucking tired of this bullshit war. We push, he pushes back. We regroup and I try to find some way to make a difference. Why? Why can't we all just live our lives?"

Bo took a belt from her glass and then turned on Lauren.

"And just when I think that this will go on forever, gaining and losing ground in an endless cycle, you walk right through my door and offer me the key to changing it once and for all." Bo looked at Lauren as if she were trying to see through her.

"Why, Lauren? Who are these unaligned Fae to you? What do you really want?" Bo fired at her and it was clear that she wanted real answers. "Why are you here?"

Lauren wanted to give her some grand altruistic reason behind her escape – yet while she had been pushed by the migrant band of Fae, it was infinitely more and yet so much less than that.

"I'm tired." The truth flowed from her lips without thought. "I have been his slave for years, and watched him break apart families, and kill people who didn't deserve death, and I'm tired of it. Once I thought he was a good man but all he seems to care about is his own power, and those who get in his way are eliminated."

She took a fortifying belt of her scotch, swallowed it and talked past the burn. "I do what he asks, I do what Dyson orders, or I go to Trick's dungeons. I help when I can, but it's not enough and I've been doing it – been doing everything, really – alone for years. It's not enough to patch up the wounded when he just orders more people into battle. And this last catastrophe was just one more in a long line of untenable catastrophes, but the truth?"

She looked Bo in the eyes, and surrendered to her fate.

"I am tired, and I can't do one more thing for that monster, even if it means my death."

Lauren knew she didn't have anything left. If she lived past this debacle, she'd probably never be able to practice medicine again. If Trick won the war, she'd be on the run for the rest of her no doubt very short life. And even if he lost, she was still a traitor.

She had left with the clothes on her back. She had no money, no resources, nothing to claim as her own. She was smart enough to rebuild, but it would take years, and she would never be safe. Right now, her fate rested in the hands of this woman before her – noble, driven, beautiful – but an absolute unknown to Lauren. And suddenly, she had questions of her own.

Other than a solution to this war, what did the Dark Queen want with her? And once that was done, one way or another, what would become of Lauren?

She summoned her courage and looked in Bo's eyes for the answer.

"What will you do with me?" Lauren asked for the second time since they'd met.

Bo appeared to consider several responses and then discarded them all with a sigh. "I don't know."

Lauren supposed that she should feel annoyed or frustrated at that, but she didn't. In fact, she appreciated the honesty. It was more than she was used to getting.

Bo finished her scotch, set down her glass and turned to look at Lauren as if she could see right through her. Her gaze flared blue and pinned Lauren to the couch. In that moment, Lauren felt more naked than she'd ever felt in her entire life.

Suddenly, Bo closed the distance between them, seized Lauren's face in her hands and kissed her with everything she had. Bo didn't use her touch but Lauren was frozen in place with the passion of Bo's kiss, as it deepened until they were both breathless.

Something in Lauren's soul was determined to be free. She stopped holding it back, and when Bo's lips parted, and her delicate tongue traced Lauren's lips, Lauren moaned and surrendered herself to what she really wanted.

Lauren surged up, pushed Bo onto her back, and covered Bo's body with her own. Squeezing the hard muscles of Bo's shoulders with her hands, Lauren made their kiss _hers_ , taking what she wanted and at the same time, giving herself to Bo - her gift to Bo for ending the isolation and loneliness, even if only for a short while.

The palms of her hands pressed into Bo's skin, from her shoulders down to her breasts, cupping their perfection in her hands before pinching the nipples through her shirt almost roughly. Bo moaned, her hips raising up in response.

Lauren ripped apart the shirt beneath her hands, and buried her face in Bo's neck, breathing her in before tracing Bo's skin with her tongue. In less than a minute, they'd shed their clothes, and left them - forgotten, along with Lauren's need to shower - on the floor.

Bo took Lauren by the hand and led her to another room – this one almost as large, its only feature a king-sized canopied bed.

When they reached the bed, Lauren pushed Bo back into the same position beneath her, stretched across the bed, covering Bo's body with her own, crashing her lips to Bo's.

Lauren pulled back, a whisper of distance between them, her eyes closed so she could feel every movement of Bo's body beneath hers. "Gods, the way you _move…"_

The slow roll of Bo's hips against hers, the friction of Bo wet against Lauren's thigh, the press of Bo's hands, holding Lauren in place so that she could feel every inch where their skin touched – it was all nearly too much, _too_ sweet.

She reached between Bo's thighs, and moaned at the simple evidence of how very much she was welcome. Her fingers relearning what Bo wanted and needed and where and how slowly or quickly or firmly or softly – until her fingers weren't enough.

Lauren pushed herself lower on the bed, pressed Bo's thighs apart, kissing the valley of lower belly and thigh, then a kiss against one thigh followed by the other.

She looked up and what she saw almost made her stop. The blue had faded. Bo's eyes were a warm, chocolate brown and she looked at Lauren with a raw vulnerability that cracked open Lauren's heart.

This was more than sex, more than simple release.

Lauren took one of Bo's hands in her own, fingers intertwined as her eyes met Bo's, and she let her tongue take its first, delicate taste.

They both moaned in tandem – Bo's eyes rolling back, her neck arched as Lauren deepened her touch. Their fingers tightened as Bo's moans grew louder, and with her free hand, Lauren pressed inside Bo, never once closing her eyes, fierce in her commitment to not miss a moment, to not lose Bo's gaze once, to share with Bo every part of this union.

Bo's grip was almost painful. Her other hand reached for Lauren's head, grasping her hair as her moans grew louder, her body tightening until she cried out as she came.

Lauren's vision grew blurry, tears blocking the beauty of Bo in orgasm, and she quickly blinked them away. She wanted to _see._

Lauren knew what this was now. Though it had been a long time since she had felt love, she knew that was what she felt for Bo.

She was no fool, and had no romantic notions of any sort of happily ever after. She was a human, and Bo was the queen of the Dark Fae. Lauren was minor chess piece in a war between two superpowers, a war that might destroy her, no matter who won or how it ended. Even though she might have a way to turn the tide, Lauren didn't think that ultimately, she mattered at all to either side.

This might be the only time she would love Bo like this.

Lauren would make it count.


	7. Chapter 7

[ _ **Author's Note:**_ _Only one more chapter after this one, my friends, but we've got a bit of journey left before the story ends. Rated M for Mature. And, the plot thickens._

 _Thank you all so much for the reviews and for the follows. They certainly keep me fueled! ~VirginiaBlack517]_

 **CHAPTER SEVEN**

Kenzi set a brimming coupe cocktail glass in front of Lauren on the low table in front of their corner booth in Carpe Noctem.

"Here's a perfect Manhattan. You don't strike me as a cosmo kinda girl," Kenzi said dryly. She took her seat but angled her body toward Lauren. Kenzi quaffed a third of her martini glass in one swallow, and then launched into Lauren.

"Listen, sister, I feel for whatever hell you've had to endure in Trick's kennels, but if you harm a hair on Bo's pretty little head, I will slit your throat the old-fashioned way – unexpectedly, and from behind."

Lauren reached for her glass despite the threat of bodily harm and took a bracing sip of her cocktail. While she was certain Kenzi could make good on her threat, she didn't think she was going to do it right now.

It did, however, add to the surreal tint of her life these last few days.

She noted the neon blue of the club's lights washing over her hand holding the glass, and instantly, she was back in Bo's bedroom, watching Bo blink the blue from her eyes. Bo had returned tenderness in kind, and without saying a word – though her brown eyes had spoken volumes – made love to Lauren, stretched out across her bed, both of them painted in sunlight. There had been no other way to describe the way she'd been touched – slowly, deeply, and with reverence. Lauren had been loved.

After, they hadn't slept or spoken, neither seeming to want to break the spell. For what felt like forever, but had probably been less than an hour, Bo had simply stared at her, combing fingers through Lauren's hair as she held Lauren in her arms.

The world had crashed in abruptly again when Kenzi arrived, calling out from the adjoining room, once again bearing clothes for Lauren. Kenzi had seemed surprised to see Lauren, but hadn't said anything about it. When Kenzi mentioned to Bo that Vex was waiting downstairs, Lauren watched Bo change before her eyes from the woman who had made love to her to a Dark Queen at war.

Now, just a few hours later, Vex and Bo were putting some plan into motion, and Vex and Kenzi had worked hard to convince Bo to leave Lauren out of it until the endgame. Finally, Bo had agreed, but had insisted that Kenzi stay with Lauren and that they not stay in the compound. Lauren had wondered at that point if Bo had spies in her ranks. Vex had suggested they stay in the open at Carpe Noctem – it was deep in Dark Fae territory and the safest place he could think of.

So. Here they sat, having what Lauren considered to be her most odd conversation since she'd left the Light Fae compound.

"I'm not sure a slave could do anything to hurt the Dark Queen," Lauren started, but stopped when Kenzi scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"First of all, you stopped being a slave the _minute_ you set foot in the Dark Fae compound and second, if you found a way to stop the fucking _Blood King,_ the Dark Queen would be easy pickings."

 _Wait…what?_ What did that mean, that she had stopped being a slave?

"And that's beside the point and not at all what I meant." Kenzi locked her eyes with Lauren's. "In the five years I've known her, I have never, _ever_ seen Bo take a lover to her bed."

Lauren must have shown her confusion on her face.

"Her real bed, not that trick pad she has downstairs where she fucks them, feeds from them, and then throws them out. Never the same one twice, and she never takes them upstairs. So, whatever you two have going on means a lot to her."

Confusion gave way to shock, but it faded as one promise fell from Lauren's lips with conviction.

"I could never hurt her," Lauren said. "I won't." She looked down into her glass, as if it held answers. "Not even if my life depended on it."

"Yeah, you seem the type to throw your life around willy nilly, so you might want to knock that shit off, too. Your death would hurt her just as much."

Lauren looked up in surprise. What was Kenzi talking about?

"Don't let the press releases fool you. Yes, she's the ultimate badass, and yes, the succubitch had to put down a bunch of losers early on to clean house, but she actually has a soul. Hell, I wouldn't be here if she didn't."

Lauren wondered what that meant, but Kenzi didn't seem like she'd provide any more details. Not to Lauren, anyway.

"She also means every word she says about stopping this war. So, in short, whatever sorcery you have up your sleeves, it better serve my girl or there'll be hell to pay." She tossed back the rest of her martini and waved the bartender down from across the room, signaling "two" before turning back to Lauren.

Lauren took another sip of her drink. All things considered, she appreciated Kenzi's candor.

"I've always thought of myself as more of a wizard than a sorcerer."

Kenzi appraised her anew. "Gryffindor?" Kenzi asked, without skipping a beat.

"Ravenclaw." Lauren responded.

Kenzi smirked. Lauren felt her face relax into a rare smile. It would seem they had come to an understanding of sorts.

Something in her peripheral vision warned her, and her eyes moved to look at the shadows. What she saw made her heart pound in her chest.

Dyson, a dozen of his goons, and Hale Santiago had just walked into the club. They quickly subdued a few of what must have been Dark Fae in the room, while the humans danced and partied unaware.

Hale's eyes met Lauren's, and his face fell. Lauren quickly spoke to Kenzi.

"Dyson's here, and he's got company."

"What?" Kenzi looked incredulous, then followed Lauren's line of sight. "Shit!" Kenzi started to get up, but Lauren grabbed her arm as Dyson's eyes finally found her.

"It's too late. Play stupid, and it might save your life," Lauren said.

In less than a minute, Dyson and Hale had crossed the room and stood before Lauren and Kenzi. Hale looked almost apologetic while Dyson puffed up in righteous anger.

"You and your friend are coming with us," Dyson shouted over the music.

Lauren prayed that she could be convincing in a lie. "Kenzi is no friend of mine," she shouted back, and saw Hale's eyebrows climb. _Good, he knows who she is. He can get word to Bo._ Kenzi meant something to Bo. Lauren had to try to save her.

Kenzi tried to play along. "Hey, I just bought this bitch a drink. We're not married. I'm out of here." She made a move to walk away, but one of the goons grabbed her, ignoring her very vocal protests.

"You fucked up, _Doctor Lewis,_ " Dyson seethed, and backhanded her full strength across her face, knocking her to the ground. He dragged her to her feet and then towards the door, calling back over a shoulder to one of his guards. "Take that human to the compound. We'll find out if she knows anything."

He pulled Lauren roughly towards the exit. "You've got a date with the Blood King."

XX – XX – XX – XX – XX

Bo sat in the passenger seat of Vex's Jaguar parked on a side street near the Dal. She was sure Trick had a few people watching the place, but she wasn't looking to invade the waystation. She was looking for his lieutenant.

Vex sat beside her, humming annoyingly under his breath while he filed his nails. This wasn't their first stakeout together, but Vex's bizarre habits were grating on Bo's nerves today.

The plan was to take out Dyson and then go for the Blood King himself. Bo was sick and tired of the waiting game and wanted this _over_. _I've got things to do,_ she thought, though she didn't want to admit what those things might be.

Which brought her thoughts back to Lauren. Her succubus snarled again, angry that she'd left Lauren anywhere out of her sight, and Bo mentally wrestled her again into submission.

Bo took a deep breath and settled herself again within the confines of the car.

"You all right, love?" Vex asked for the third time in less than an hour.

"I'm fine," Bo seethed.

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing," Vex said, placating her with his tone. "It's just that you're a tad squirrely since the bird came on the scene."

"Pick another song, Vex," Bo warned.

"I'm just saying," Vex continued. "She's given us one hell of an advantage, but we might want to keep an eye on her. That's all."

Bo started to rip his head off, but then realized he was only trying to help, and was playing things cautiously, as always. And he wasn't wrong. Lauren had indeed come out of nowhere and offered victory on a silver platter, but the woman herself was an unknown. Bo believed everything she'd been told so far, and didn't think that Lauren had any ulterior motives, but that wasn't what gave her pause.

It was the way Lauren made her feel. That's what she couldn't trust. She wanted to push Lauren away, to be standoffish, to put some distance between them so she could figure things out, because she couldn't _think_ when Lauren was close to her - but her succubus wanted her close by at all times.

She had tried to think things through, holding Lauren in her arms, trying to look through Lauren's eyes, searching for any hint of what the hell was happening between them.

Yet in those long moments of staring into her eyes, Bo had felt something she'd never felt in her whole life and it had made thinking impossible. Calm. At peace. As if the warring parts of her were in agreement - her mind was still, her heart was full and her soul replete. When she held Lauren, she wanted for absolutely nothing.

 _What am I going to do with her?_

Lauren had come to her a slave, and probably thought she still was one. If Bo kept Lauren as a pet, that made her no better than Trick, and the thought turned her stomach. If she set Lauren free, she might never see her again, and that thought broke her heart.

Bo really wanted to keep her – any way she could get her.

 _When all else fails, trust your gut._ And her gut was telling her to -

Freddie Mercury's voice suddenly filled the Jaguar, and Vex reached for his phone. "Yeah." He answered, and Bo supposed she could listen in, but didn't really want to get distracted with the minutiae that she always let Vex handle. Maybe she shouldn't rely on him so much, but he did get a lot done that she just didn't have to worry about.

"What?" He nearly yelled into the phone. "When?" Bo couldn't make out all the words on the other end because of Vex's angry breathing, but she made out the words _Kenzi_ and _doctor._ Whatever this was, it wasn't good.

"Bloody hell!" Vex cursed. "I'll call you back." He disconnected the call and immediately started the car.

"Vex…" Bo started.

"That was Hale," he said, cutting her off. "Dyson and company just raided Carpe Noctem. They took Kenzi and the doctor." He slammed a hand against the steering wheel. "They've never raided us this far in our territory before."

Bo felt white fire race through her veins and the succubus within screamed in rage though Bo herself made not a single sound. She was so stunned she couldn't speak.

"Hale says Dyson has Lauren with him and they're going to see Trick." He quickly shifted gears as he raced into what little traffic there was at this hour. "Hale's got Kenzi and is taking her – as ordered – to the Light compound for questioning."

They both leaned left as he pulled a hard right, tires squealing. "We can cut Hale off before he gets there."

Bo seethed in fury as they pulled up to a stoplight. The words still weren't coming. _Kenzi._

Kenzi might be human, but she was like a sister to Bo, and often, Kenzi was the voice of reason in a world that seemed overrun with more and more Fae bullshit. Bo could not let her end up in Trick's hands. He'd kill her.

As for Lauren…

They raced forward when the light changed, then Vex screeched to a halt as a van ran the opposing light and crossed right in front of them at top speed.

"Holy shit!" Vex exclaimed. "Did you see that?"

Bo's pulse raced, and she felt her eyes flash as the fury pulsed through her body. Dyson was driving that van, and it looked like he was headed back towards the Dal Riata.

Bo could rush to save Kenzi, or she could follow Dyson to the Dal and save Lauren, but she didn't have time to do both.


	8. Chapter 8

_[_ _ **Author's Note:**_ _Here we are at the final chapter. Thank you all so much for the kind reviews and for favoriting and following my work. It means so much to know that you're enjoying these characters and their stories. More from me at the end. ~VB517]_

 **CHAPTER EIGHT**

Lauren sat on a grimy box of who knew what and tried not to cry again. The tears only rolled into the cuts on her face, and that stung. It wasn't the worst pain that she'd ever experienced, and likely the very _least_ pain she'd feel in the immediate future, but it wasn't exactly fun either.

Dyson had smacked her around some more before he'd thrown her into a van, and threatened her with torture and punishment the likes of which she hadn't heard used since the Dark Ages. He'd brought her to a closed and empty Dal Riata, and locked her in a disgusting cell tucked in an old storeroom Trick and his lieutenants sometimes used for prisoners they didn't want anywhere near the Light Fae compound. Lauren had thought that the torture would begin immediately, but Dyson had said that he didn't want her so damaged from his own punishment that she couldn't fully experience whatever nightmares Trick had planned.

Lauren knew that she was about to die a long, slow, excruciatingly painful death and her only hope was to go mad long before its end, but she wasn't crying from fear or anger or physical pain or desolation. She'd accepted her fate a long, long time ago.

She was crying because she'd never see Bo again.

Lauren blinked the tears away again, trying to keep the sobs at bay – if she gave in, she might never stop.

Lauren had known the Dark Queen less than a week, and so much had changed. In only a handful of days, Bo had reminded Lauren of what it felt to be truly alive - wanted, even - and she hadn't felt that in forever.

She closed her eyes and called the memories to her one at a time, hoping the repetition would build a neural pathway to images that she could easily recall when the pain was too much. She thought of the way Bo had looked at her, just that morning, with the sunlight on her long, dark hair and sparkling in her eyes. She thought of the way Bo kissed her, long and slow and deep as if they had all the time in the world. She thought of the way Bo's skin smelled – vanilla kissed with a hint of dark spice that made Lauren's heart race. She thought of the sound of Bo sighing as the last twitch of orgasm faded and her body was still.

And lastly, she thought of the feel of Bo's arms around her, holding her safely as if she were something precious.

The tears came again, and made the cuts in her cheek sting. She must have opened one of the cuts again, and raised a sleeve to press against her face. It wasn't exactly sterile, but she didn't have a lot to work with at the moment.

She had gone to the Dark Queen because, in the heat of the moment, in the wild of Lauren's escape, the rumors of the queen's iron will and drive to defeat the Blood King were exactly what Lauren needed to stop him. How could she have known that she'd fall in love? In a matter of days?

 _Who does that?_

And while she hoped that Bo returned at least some of those feelings – which, remembering now the way Bo had looked at her this morning, was probably true – what did it matter now?

She closed her eyes and ran through the list again. Bo's eyes when she looked at Lauren. The taste of her lips. The scent of her skin. The sound of her sighs. The feel of her hands. Five senses, five fingers on each hand, five toes on each foot. She could burn that into her mind over and over until she couldn't anymore, and then replay the images until she herself was dead and gone.

She took a deep cleansing breath, and then coughed at the dust she'd inhaled.

Lauren hoped Kenzi was safe. When Lauren had managed to drop Kenzi's name and saw Hale's eyes widen, she did some quick math. Hale had always been more reserved and kind than the others in Trick's employ – he must have been feeding information to Bo. Hopefully, he'd told Bo about Kenzi. With any luck, Bo was saving Kenzi right now.

Lauren was glad. Bo didn't seem like she had a lot of friends, and Kenzi appeared to be one.

Five senses. Bo's eyes. Bo's lips. Bo's scent. Bo's sighs. Bo's hands. Five things – she could recall five things under pressure. When it got to be too much, she could remember five things.

Lauren hoped that she'd given Bo enough information during the long series of questioning by her and Vex. They'd asked her over and over again about the science behind what she proposed – what to administer, how much, how long it would take to neutralize the Blood King. Lauren wasn't actually a necessary piece of the puzzle; she was only the scientist who'd figured it out. Anyone could give the proper dosage and stanch his blood sage powers forever.

Bo was smart. Lauren exhaled, and pushed the fear that this had all been for nothing from her mind. She'd done the right thing, and the information was in the right hands. Bo would know what to do with it. The secret wouldn't die with Lauren.

It was only a matter of time before Bo stopped him, and ultimately, Lauren had done what she wanted to do. She would have helped to stop the war. In time, even if she wasn't alive to see it, Trick would be stopped.

She heard voices in the outer room and realized that it must be time for her execution. _Not enough time!_ She ran through the list again, praying it would be enough – hoping that she didn't forget anything. The tears started again – she couldn't bear it if she forgot anything about Bo.

Lauren hoped that she could hold out a little dignity and didn't beg for mercy, because she knew there'd be none.

There was a heavy scuffle followed by a muffled shout and then a loud thump. Before Lauren could decide what the hell all that might mean, the storeroom door flew open and Lauren leapt to her feet.

Bo stood in the doorway, armed to the teeth and breathing heavily.

Lauren couldn't stop herself. "What are you doing here?"

Bo shook her head and advanced on the cell door. "Well, if you're that happy with the accommodations, I could leave you here." She juggled a large ring of ancient-looking keys, but quickly found the right one.

"No," Lauren tried to correct the misunderstanding. "I mean, why are you here and not saving Kenzi?"

"Vex is saving Kenzi," Bo said – though she didn't look happy about it. She unlocked the enormous padlock and unthreaded the chain from the cell door. "It's called delegating. Queens do it all the time." She quickly opened the door and left a wide enough gap for Lauren to walk through without touching the filthy frame. "I'm saving you."

"But…why?" Lauren hadn't moved a step.

"How about we talk about that later? You've got a date with a syringe and I've got a war to end."

Lauren quickly stepped out of the cell, but stopped in front of Bo. Lauren wanted to touch Bo, but was afraid that if she did right now, she would completely fall apart. She leaned as close as she dared – close enough to taste Bo's scent on her tongue as she breathed her in.

"Thank you," Lauren whispered, blinking away tears.

Bo reached up with one hand and gently touched her wounded cheek, her eyes flashing briefly with blue rage. Lauren reached up to pull Bo's hand away, but clasped the fingers in her own. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Bo didn't look like she believed her, but didn't say anything else about it. "Let's go."

XX – XX – XX – XX - XX

For as long as she lived, Lauren didn't think she'd ever forget the pure unfettered majesty of the Dark Queen's righteous fury.

It began the moment they walked out Lauren's makeshift prison to find Dyson stirring on the ground. Bo had evidently left him there after somehow rendering him unconscious – along with a handful of other Light Fae guards, none of whom had moved. Lauren idly wondered if they were dead.

Lauren watched in fear – for Bo – as Dyson tried to get to his feet, but the Dark Queen was upon him before he managed to get more than a leg under himself. She backhanded him across the face, knocking him onto his back, then stepped a long, laced leather boot on his neck, her blue eyes glaring at him.

"You will _never_ lay a hand on her again," she growled, and then knocked him back into oblivion with one kick to the jaw.

Lauren realized that Bo had single-handedly taken out all of her opposition, just to get to Lauren. She had thought Dyson to be the strongest Fae she'd ever known.

She'd been wrong.

Moments later, a dozen of Bo's Dark Fae guards spilled into the Dal Riata and promptly reported to Bo. "Half of you secure this location, and do _not_ give up an inch of ground." Bo turned for the door, collecting Lauren with her once again brown eyes. "The rest of you come with me."

"What about him?" One of them asked about Dyson.

Bo didn't bother to look back at him. "Bring him with us. He might come in handy."

By the time they got outside the Dal, a small fleet of vehicles had arrived. Bo and Lauren piled into the back of one suburban, with Bruce again at the wheel. There were two other ogres in the SUV, and a stream of reports was fired Bo's way. Lauren tried to keep up with all the new information.

Vex had caught up to Hale – who hadn't put up much of a fight – and Kenzi was once again safe. Lauren was relieved to hear it. Dyson hadn't been tipped off about Carpe Noctem. The Light Fae lieutenant had merely gotten lucky. Trick's big plan all along had been to raid the nightclub that so many viewed as the seat of the Dark Queen's power – more so than the Dark Fae compound itself – and to burn it to the ground. When Dyson had come across Lauren and Kenzi, that plan had changed.

Lauren watched each new fact increasingly piss Bo off. Bo didn't say much, but her eyes grew more fierce.

Instead of racing to reclaim Carpe Noctem, Bo changed the terms of the engagement altogether. With a phone call from Bo, and in less than thirty minutes, Vex had rallied as much of their forces as possible and begun a guerilla assault on the Light Fae compound itself.

Lauren thought it madness and possibly suicide, but she wasn't going to say anything.

When the SUV stopped just beyond the Light Fae compound perimeter, the guards piled out, followed by Bo. Lauren didn't - couldn't - move.

Bo poked her head back into the car. "You coming?"

And even though setting foot in that compound terrified her, Lauren's heart wouldn't let her _not_ follow Bo. She climbed out of the vehicle, and followed the Dark Queen into the Blood King's stronghold.

Every group they encountered was engaged quickly and summarily subdued. No one died, but Lauren watched Bo pull chi from countless Light Fae, the Dark Queen's steps growing more sure as she walked through the compound without guidance, as if she knew exactly where she was going.

As if it were already hers.

Lauren realized that what she'd thought of as a suicide mission was instead an unopposed invasion. Trick's forces couldn't stand against the Dark Queen.

Bo was unstoppable.

All of the events that Lauren had put into motion had brought Lauren – brought them all – here. To the place where, for Lauren, it had all begun.

The Dark Queen guided them to Lauren's lab, and directed Lauren to pull together the necessary components for the serum to subdue the Blood King. Lauren hurried to do exactly that – it didn't take long. She'd certainly thought through the steps countless times.

Lauren turned to give the syringe she'd assembled to Bo, but froze, seeing where Bo stood.

Lauren watched Bo look upon the room where Lauren had spent over eight years in what was essentially solitary confinement – little more than a closet, really, with a cot and a small table and lamp, off the main room of the Light Fae medical bay. It seemed even smaller to Lauren now, but she couldn't imagine how it looked to Bo.

Lauren looked on in speechless awe as a red iridescence washed over Bo's skin, as her hair danced without wind, as the Dark Queen growled, breathing rapidly in unmitigated anger. The Dark Queen's rage was so palpable, it changed the weight of the air in the room.

 _All that…for me?_ Lauren was confused, yet moved beyond words.

It took a few minutes for the Dark Queen to set her fury aside, but when she did, it changed the tide of the war.

Lauren didn't have to see Bo's eyes to know they were an ice-cold blue – she could tell by the tone of the Dark Queen's voice as she spoke into her phone.

"Vex," the Dark Queen said slowly. "Change of plans. Bring them to the med bay." She paused, and if possible, the tone of her voice grew even more menacing. "Both of them."

In mere minutes. Vex arrived with several guards in tow, two dragging Dyson, two more with the Blood King himself.

Trick stood cradling one broken arm, his blood running freely. Lauren idly wondered if he'd tried to change the outcome of the night's events.

Bo still looked in at Lauren's room, and then spoke without turning around. "On your knees, Blood King."

"I kneel to no one, certainly not a half-breed bitch like –"

Two of the ogres grabbed hold of the Blood King and forced him to his knees.

"Dr. Lewis," the Dark Queen said, and Lauren started with surprise.

Finally remembering why she was there, Lauren moved behind the ogres and Trick, syringe at the ready.

"Lauren, if you do this, your life is forfeit!" Trick's face was red with fury, but he wasn't strong enough to free himself.

 _My life has been over for years,_ Lauren thought darkly.

Dyson tried to shove off one of his own captors, but Lauren watched Vex arch a hand, freezing Dyson in place.

"Now, Dr. Lewis," the Dark Queen ordered, and despite Dyson's protests and Trick's increasingly violent threats, Lauren followed her directive.

She pressed Trick's head to one side, and injected the contents of the syringe directly into his carotid artery. He screamed in frustration and defeat.

In a few minutes, it was over, and Lauren took a breath to speak for the first time since she'd arrived.

"It didn't have to be this way, Trick," Lauren said, and he screamed in response.

XX – XX – XX – XX - XX

 _Yeah, well,_ Bo thought, _it kinda did._

It was over, but it wasn't. Maybe Lauren thought this was the end of it, but Bo knew better, and one glance at Vex confirmed that he knew as well.

Bo's fury abated for a few moments, now that Trick's powers had been neutralized. He would never know how close he came to a completely different resolution. One look at the way Lauren had been treated – for _years_ – was enough to drive her succubus into a fit of rage that might have scorched this place to the ground.

Still, it wasn't as it she could simply turn them loose now, though she wondered if Lauren realized what must come next.

Bo really, _really_ didn't want to kill them – well, her succubus wanted Dyson to burn for what he'd done to Lauren, and Bo was currently holding her at bay - but these two men were never going to surrender, never going to give in, never going to give up. She was tired of the killing, but more was necessary.

They would always stand in the way of change, and never understand that there was a better way of doing things.

"I don't know how, or when," Dyson seethed. "But I will kill you."

She shook her head, and though she knew it wasn't apparent to anyone here – except perhaps Lauren and Vex – she was saddened by what she had to do.

"No, you won't," she said. "You will be tossed into Burgane Hollow where you'll spend the rest of your life." She lowered her voice and turned to stare at him. She wanted him to know that his life was over. "You will waste away, wolf, and die forgotten and alone."

She watched understanding wash across his eyes. Burgane Hollow was a cursed ravine deep in the wilds of the colony. It was a cragged scar in the earth, hundreds of feet deep, from which there was no escape.

"You and I both know that you will never serve me, Dyson, and I won't let you attempt to destroy what I will build now that Trick is no longer king."

Dyson's face contorted in fury. "He will _always_ be king, and you –"

"Enough!" the Dark Queen roared, and the word echoed and rang in the stone room. "Here is your only choice – a quick death here or a long death in the Hollow. Which is it?"

He was a proud man, so it took him awhile.

"Kill me now," he said finally through gritted teeth.

Bo was relieved and disappointed at the same time.

"Get him up," Bo ordered, and the ogres raised him off his knees. He tried to loosen their grip, but Vex held him back.

She stepped closer, and drew her tanto from its sheath. The hatred rolling off the man could have given her pause, but now, she wanted this whole scene to be done.

"At least you'll die on your feet, wolf," she said, and before he could form a response, she slid the knife between his ribs, into his heart, and twisted the blade twice before pulling it out.

He collapsed, dead weight in the ogres' arms. She wiped his blood off her blade and onto his shirt before Vex released him, and the ogres let him fall to the stone floor.

His death sparked a fresh rant from the Blood King.

Trick was spitting in fury, tears of rage streaming down his face. "I should have killed you when your whore of a mother brought you before me." He nearly sobbed, his small body shaking in helpless anger. "I forgave her for fucking your beast of a father, but – " He screamed, his anger overtaking his ability to form words.

"Throw me in your fucking pit, bitch, and be done."

"No," she said, and the room fell still. "No, you don't get the same choice. I will not leave you alive to give false hope to those who would dare to oppose me or oppress those who would control their own destinies."

She stepped towards him, blade still bare and in hand. "They cannot live the lives they would choose if you're alive, Blood King. You will die here, and on your knees."

Bo stilled herself, calmed her breath. No matter how much she hated him – and hated what he had done - she would not kill him in anger, and she would not dignify him with her grief.

"Goodbye, grandfather." Bo heard the gasp that she knew came from Lauren as Bo plunged her blade into Trick's chest.

 _Now it's done._

XX – XX – XX – XX - XX

Lauren stood in shock, unable to move as Bo once more cleaned her blade before sheathing it at her waist.

She'd known that it was a possibility that Bo would kill Trick. That he'd just been summarily executed was jarring, but Lauren wasn't surprised.

The revelation that Bo was his granddaughter, however, stupefied her. Not once in the entirety of her service had she heard even the suggestion that the Blood King and the Dark Queen were so closely related. How was it possible that such a huge piece of information had escaped her attention?

"Give Dyson a pyre," Bo said to no one in particular as she walked towards Lauren, sheathing her tanto gracefully. "As for the Blood King…" She sighed, and stopped for a moment. "Vex, have him prepared to lie in state for the next three days here in the Light compound. Put him directly in front of his former throne."

As she stepped in Lauren's direction once more, the split-octave voice that seemed to inspire fear or devotion – or both – spoke clearly. "I claim his throne as mine. Before I dismantle every last one of his laws, the Fae will come to pay their respects to the Blood King, and they will bow before the Dark Queen to do it." Her eyes briefly blazed blue. "There will be no Light and no Dark. There are only the Fae, and they will all bow before _me_."

Vex barked orders at the ogres and they were soon busy moving the bodies at his direction. In minutes, Lauren and Bo stood alone in the room.

"Not many people knew," Bo said quietly in her more human voice, her eyes brown once more. "Vex. Dyson. Hale. A few of the Elders." She looked around the room as she spoke. "I didn't tell anyone because I'm not in the habit of giving away information, and Trick just didn't want anyone to know the Dark Queen was actually his kin."

She looked at Lauren as if waiting for some sort of response, but Lauren was still too stunned to speak.

Bo sighed, and reached into her pocket for cell phone. After tapping its screen a few times, she raised it to her ear. "Hey, Hale." She paused to hear his greeting. "We need to talk. Now. Meet me in the throne room in half an hour." She ended the call without another word, tucked the phone in her pocket, and stepped even closer to Lauren.

"This is your one and only opportunity." Bo's eyes pierced her with their intensity, and Lauren was once again unable to move. "You may leave without consequence, free and clear, and end your service to the Fae. If you do, you must never return to this colony, because once I change the laws and then step aside, it's going to be the wild west around here for awhile." Her eyes moved over Lauren's face, pausing briefly on her lips, then looked again in Lauren's eyes. "If you want to be free of the Fae, Lauren, now's your chance."

The silence between them grew as Lauren looked closely at Bo for any sign of – something. Anything that gave some clue of what Bo herself might want. Lauren had hoped that she meant something to Bo, but she couldn't get a read on her. Bo's eyes were tense, her shoulders tight – as if she was trying not to give something away.

Did Bo want her to leave?

It was a much simpler decision than Bo's tension and Lauren's speechlessness might suggest.

Lauren straightened her back and let out a relaxing breath. She had decided where her place was days ago.

"I thought you said I belonged to you now." Lauren said, a small smile on her lips.

Bo closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. Lauren watched the tightness leave Bo's shoulders. When Bo looked once again at Lauren, though she didn't smile in response, there was a joy dancing in her warm, brown eyes.

Lauren stepped forward, asking permission with her hesitance. Bo raised an eyebrow and her lips in assent, and for just a moment, her eyes flared blue.

Lauren leaned into Bo, and let her kiss speak her love, pouring her heart into a simple chaste brush of lips that she hoped conveyed all she couldn't yet say. Wherever her path led, she knew it was in the wake of the Dark Queen.

"Let's go," the Dark Queen said, her voice's resonance dancing across Lauren's skin. She flicked her tongue one last time against Lauren's lips. "We've got a lot of work to do."

 _FIN_

 **FINAL AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 _Dear Readers,_

 _Thank you for joining me on this particular ride. This was the most up-voted story of my experimental three – all writing exercises decided by dice rolls – and my goal with it was simple: tell a story in ~20k words about Bo as the Morrigan of the Dark Fae when she first meets Lauren Lewis. Mission accomplished._

 _This story was also an experiment in letting the characters tell their own tales. Sixty percent of this story was finished months ago, but when I came back to it, the characters changed the story._

 _The Dark Queen was supposed to lean much stronger into the BDSM column, but Bo pulled her back for some reason. Lauren was supposed to be much more subservient, but her spine kept showing up. And lastly, the Bo I originally imagined wanted to give Dyson a quick and honorable death, but this Dark Queen wouldn't have it._

 _No matter what tale_ _ **I**_ _tried to tell, the characters chose their own. So be it. Honestly, I really didn't want to let this one go._

 _Hope you enjoyed reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm off to the next story and will post more for you soon._

 _~VirginiaBlack517_


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